The Phantom and The Angel
by serioushugsies
Summary: She was dead, a bullet through the chest saw to that, but when Sarah found herself in a world she couldn't help but recognize bound to the body of a newborn she made a decision. She would protect this new life that saved her from oblivion, even if doing so meant that the world would burn around them. Her angel would live, no matter the cost.(OC insert)
1. Chapter 1

Sarah couldn't help but smile as she gazed up at the blue sky overhead, the thin whips of black smoke that trailed across the sky somehow only adding to her acceptance of the situation. She was lying on her back staring up into the midday sky trying her hardest to ignore the pain in her chest. There were many poetic ways of referring to what she was currently experiencing; in the process of pushing up daisies, crossing the River Jordan, about to walk though a valley of shadows, but Sarah preferred to keep it simple.

She was dying, courtesy of the blood filling her lungs due to a bullet that had lodged itself in her chest.

For most reasonably sane people the realization that death as only at most a minute or so away would cause them to panic. They would try to bargain with whatever god they believed in crying to themselves for just a little more time or maybe they would be furious, trying to blame anything and everything for their fate. But Sarah wasn't like most people, even if you weren't going to take into account the fact that the world had gone to hell on her a few years ago.

No, instead Sarah couldn't help but feel a sense of elation as she coughed up even more blood. She could hear the sounds of the foreign troops all trying to shout over each other in order to get some semblance of unity established but the dying girl knew they would fail. After all, the man she had come to kill, one of the bastards who had destroyed her home, was lying in a pool of his own blood not ten feet away and without him their lines would soon collapse. A part of her was surprised to find that no one had put her out of her misery yet, as there were plenty of armed soldiers hovering around who had more than enough reason to put a bullet between her eyes, but at the end of the day she was only a war orphan with a hole in her chest, no reason to waste the ammo when nature would take its course soon. With her matted black hair, jeans that were barely held together, and a shirt that was so dirty at that point that it was mostly brown Sarah looked no different than any of the other downtrodden civilians who filtered through the area.

There was only really one thing that set the dying assassin apart from others; the fire in her sea blue eyes, the only sign that she was still willing to fight.

The black haired teen would have laughed if it weren't for the fact that just trying to breathe was excruciatingly painful. No one had expected her to break away from the column of refugees and fight her way to their command center, her combat knife and stolen pistol ending lives as she went, but she did the impossible and in doing so she accomplished something no one would have thought possible. Without their commander leading them they would soon fall into chaos, and while the effects might not be felt for a few days Sarah was certain that the others would be able to push the invaders back to get the breather they needed to regroup. Hell, if they were any luckier than she was then they might just be able to win, and that was enough for her…

…Or it might have been, if it weren't for the random firing of synapses in her brain shoving memories into her vision as things began to grow black. She saw the other kids, most of who would either cry or be absolutely furious with her, she saw her parents cheering for her as her middle school orchestra concert ended, her violin gripped in her hands tightly as she fought off the nervousness that any kid in middle school would have standing on a stage…her memories of the day the bombs began to fall, the all to loving smile on her mother's face as the world burned around them.

But more than anything, Sarah thought about all the stories she started and, at this point, would never finish. For her entire life she loved to read about fantastical worlds and the heroes and heroines contained within. She would spend so many days of her childhood just running around outside pretending she was fighting along some of her favorites, protecting the innocent and battling against the forces of evil. And sure, she may have eventually gotten the chance to fight against bad guys, some of the worst if she was being completely honest, but here at the end she just couldn't help but feel regret for all the tales she would never finish, all the things she left unspoken…all the time she was about to lose because she hadn't been quite fast or skilled enough.

But whatever regrets she had didn't matter in the end, as her body was growing far too cold to be good and her vision was fading fast, but still the smile never left her face, the feeling of accomplishment something she considered a better sendoff than what most people died with. _"Well…hopefully Hell isn't too awful…or maybe we all get another chance at life…that…would be…nice."_ Sarah barely managed to think before the darkness closed in around her, her limbs growing too heavy to move. And with one last shaky breath, the darkness consumed her sight and she closed her eyes, finally passing on into death's embrace.

.

.

.

…Or that's what she expected to happen, but her consciousness continued to remain stubbornly intact despite the fact that she could tell she had passed on from the fact that everything had stopped hurting so abruptly that it couldn't be normal. Slowly opening her eyes, Sarah was surprised to not see either an old man standing in front of big pearly gates or a guy with horns smelling of sulfur. Instead she was surrounded by nothing but darkness in all directions. As far as the teenage orphan could tell she was floating in space, as she felt a weightlessness similar to being in a pool but didn't feel any water, a feeling that might have her panicking under normal circumstances if it weren't for the fact that she had much bigger worries in that moment.

"Oh god…please tell me this isn't what death is….Is someone there? Anyone? Please!" Sarah started to shout into the darkness, her shouts not even echoing only causing her panic to grow. There were few things during life that Sarah had been truly afraid of after the war had begun, having watched too many people close to her die to remain unaffected. But more than anything else, the black haired girl could never stand being alone, as it was during those times that their faces came back to her, staring at her with their cold dead eyes, accusing her, condemning her.

 _Its hell…this place is hell._ She eventually decided as she turned her head desperately from side to side, trying to find something, anything, that stood out from the nothingness around her.

But there was nothing, not even a single pinpoint of light for her to focus on. So with nothing else to look at Sarah instead turned her attention to her body, trying desperately to find something to focus on to distract her from her horrifying situation. She was surprised that instead of the white dress or something similar that most depictions of the afterlife showed spirits wearing Sarah was still dressed in her raggedy clothes, her shirt still stained with her own blood. She could still feel, something she tested fairly quickly as she hugged herself unintentionally in order to comfort herself, but when she tried to reach out into the inky darkness that surrounded her she could feel nothing in any direction.

She couldn't move, she couldn't see…and if this continued on for too long she was absolutely certain that she would go insane if she had nothing but her own phantoms to keep her company for the rest of eternity.

"Please God, or hell I'll even take Satan's help at this point; please, please, please don't leave me in this nothingness for the rest of eternity. I'll do anything! Just please save me from this nothing!" Sarah screamed desperately into the void in an attempt to save herself. But there was no answer, no acknowledgement of her suffering. And before long the black haired assassin was reduced to clutching her knees into her chest and bawling, the sounds of her crying the only noise in the endless nothingness.

* * *

Sarah floated through the void with her eyes closed and a blank look on her face, barely thinking at all as she prepared herself for the rest of eternity. How long had she been in the featureless void? Days? Weeks? Months? Maybe even years or it could have only been ten minutes for all she knew; there was simply nothing for her to compare the passing of time against when there was nothing but darkness surrounding her.

 _Ok…well this kinda sucks, kinda wish I was just getting tortured for eternity if it meant that I didn't have to go through this by myself._ Sarah couldn't help but think as she sighed heavily, the concern of how exactly she was able to breathe now that she was dead outweighed by the depression she was currently experiencing. Sure, her life hadn't exactly been great since the bombs started to fall that faithful day, but did she really deserve this? Was this the punishment for a murderer? Or maybe it was just an accumulation of all the stupid jokes she had made over the years?

"…God?" Sarah started once again, her own voice sounding louder than ever before in the soundless darkness. " I know…I know that I'm not exactly a good person, after everything I've done but…please, I'll do anything, just please don't leave me alone." She muttered quietly, the sorrow of her situation seemingly crushing her voice until it was a faint whisper.

…but just as she expected there was no reply, no beam of light or anything. And so, sighing once again, she simply closed her eyes, praying that she would simply cease to exist eventually.

"…"

 _...Huh?_ Sarah opened her eyes, a frown of concentration on her face as she stared into the emptiness. Did she just imagine that? She didn't hear any words, but somehow the young black haired girl could've sworn she heard some kind of voice echoing out from the abyss. but that...that shouldn't be possible. she was all by herself in the darkness, who the hell would be talking besides her?

"…P-…Sa…ur…ughte-."

Sarah bolted up with such speed that she actually started to spin end over end through the darkness. She defiantly wasn't imagining things, someone was talking and she would be damned if she missed this chance to escape her own personal hell. Twisting her head around in a panic, she was shocked to see that rather than being surrounding by nothingness, there was now a small pinpoint of light, or maybe it was an absolutely massive source of light that was just really far away, she really couldn't tell but also just didn't care at this point. It was something, and that was what she desperately needed.

Stretching her limbs to their absolute limits, Sarah reached out for the light, a rare look of hope on her face as she did so. As her hand got closer to the otherworldly brilliance she noticed a shift in her surroundings that only further confused her. The darkness was beginning to recede, almost like it was being sucked down a drain behind her, and light and shapes began to form before her. She couldn't make out what anything really was, as everything was blurred like she was trapped in some kind of strange surreal painting, but any change at this point was preferable to the featureless darkness from before.

The former assassin was about to cry out in happiness when suddenly gravity returned to her surroundings, and she flopped down onto the blurry ground with a surprised squeak escaping from her lips. Pushing herself up onto her shaking knees, Sarah continued to observe her surroundings in an attempt to determine where exactly she was now.

Despite the fact that everything remained blurry, she could make out the fact that she appeared to be in some kind of house, a bedroom to be more precise, as she could make out the vague shape of a bed in the corner and other common furniture that she hadn't seen in years. One of the walls had window built into it, and through it Sarah could see the lights of densely packed town beyond along with the blurry lights of the stars up in the sky. The house wasn't exactly modern, as she could see a wooden sliding door on the opposite side of the window and some of the furniture was fairly old looking, but the fact that it was something to see was something that brought tears to her ethereal eyes.

It was while she was observing her newfound surroundings that Sarah noticed strange human-like figures moving through the room along with one figure on the bed that she had missed in her first observation. Sarah couldn't make out the persons features but from the sobs escaping from the figures lips she could tell it was a woman on the bed. The other two figures were gathered in the center of the room, their shoulders hunched over staring down at something that the black haired spirit couldn't help but gawk at.

A ball of light, likely the very same light that Sarah had reached for in order to escape from her personal hell, was sitting a makeshift cradle in between them, one of the figures standing over the light had the vague shape of a man in the prime of his life, tall and rippling with what appeared to be muscles while the other was a hunched over elderly woman with…white rabbit ears? What the hell? Did her time in that inky abyss really make her go crazy?

But before she could think about the grandma's strange appendages the man began to speak, drawing her attention. "Please, gods above, please don't take our daughter from us so soon…let her be spared. I beg you…please, " He murmured in a sorrowful voice, his tone quiet as he clasped his hands together that even Sarah, who had long ago lost faith, could tell was a method of prayer.

Sarah stared at his still fuzzy face for a moment before looking down at the strange ball of light. She couldn't make out any fine details, as it was just as blurry as everything else in this strange new place but somehow could feel a strange warmth coming off the light, almost like she was sitting around a campfire.

But whatever the light was, it was fading fast. Sarah watched as the light began to grow dimmer, the strange warmth fading along with its glow.

 _Well this is...different…but...at least its something. And i suppose I have this to thank for it._ Sarah thought as she tentatively reached out for the light. _"So if this little guy needs a hand then well, who am I to say no?"_ She decided as she made contact with the light.

The world exploded in that moment, the light flaring back into brilliance, sending the black haired spirit flying backwards for a few feet before passing halfway through the bed, causing her to cry out in shock for a moment before she phased through it again. Looking back into the center of the room, Sarah was shocked to see that the ball of light had lifted from the crib before extending out into a string the thickness of a piece of yarn, one end flying out to connect with the center of Sarah's chest while the other descended back into the crib. At first Sarah tried to remove the thread, not exactly comfortable with a beam of light extending from her chest, but as she tried to grasp it her hands simply passed through it like it didn't exist. But whatever the connection was it removed the strange blurriness that surrounded Sarah, leaving her with a much clearer picture of what was around her. She could see a woman on the bed covered loosely in a sheet and panting heavily, almost like she had just run a marathon. Her bright red hair was a stark contrast to the faded colors that surrounded her, an almost neon shade that just couldn't be natural. The man had a much more normal hair color, a deep brown that was almost the same shade as his tanned skin, but he was just as shockingly strange as the woman in an entirely different field. His eyes; eyes that Sarah could only describe as the eyes of a hawk, gazed down at the spot that the light had been previously with a mixture of shock and elation.

That was when the crying started, a high pitch crying that was at first very piercing but after a few seconds almost seemed…comforting. Slowly, as she didn't exactly want any other explosions of light or really anything to go off because of her, Sarah approached the crib and peaked down into it to find a sight that caused her to gasp in surprise.

There was a newborn child, a girl from what Sarah could see, in the bottom of the crib, a small tuff of sea blue hair on her tiny head. The child blinked its eyes occasionally and Sarah couldn't help but catch a glimpse of emerald green eyes every time it did so. And while seeing a newborn in place of a ball of light wasn't exactly common, it wasn't the fact that there was a child in the crib that was so shocking.

No, that honor belonged to the pair of tiny white wings that were attached to the infants back, the otherworldly appendages twitching occasionally as the little girl continued to screech at the top of its new lungs.

Sighing once again and staring up at the ceiling while the old woman cried out about a miracle. "Well…OK then, so this is a thing. Somehow being dead just seems so much more complicated than I thought."

* * *

Zephyr Ha-Neul was a man who preferred to keep his emotions in check, allowing his actions or words to reveal how he felt on a subject, but as he stared down at the miracle that was his daughter with his wife, Terra, by his side he couldn't help but smile like the happiest man in the world.

With a lack of any true hospital in Menagerie the young couple had been forced to use one of the elders as a midwife in order to make the birthing process as easy as possible but even still there had been many risks for the couple when it came to having a child. Terra had always had a somewhat weak constitution, the trip from Vale to the land given to all Faunus tiring her out for a good few months, and that wasn't even taking into account the lack of proper medical facilities. Zephyr had argued against the idea of having a child adamantly, leading to one of the few heated fights the Faunus couple had ever had since their marriage, but in the end his wife had won out, saying that despite the risks a child would still be worth it.

And looking down at his blue haired daughter, the Huntsmen couldn't help but agree with his wife. The child…no, their daughter, was absolutely breathtaking, blue hair the color of the sea, eyes greener than the trees of the Emerald Forest, and while he was most certainly biased he couldn't help but beam in pride staring down at her.

"Just look at her dear, our little miracle, our daughter." His wife stated in a warm exhausted tone, drawing Zephyr from his thoughts to wrap his wife in a side hug.

"Yes she is…she has your smile." He replied, still slightly concerned over his wife's health but not willing to ruin the moment.

Terra laughed lightly at that, leaning down to tickle their daughter slightly bringing out another fit of giggles from the newborn. "Yes yes, I'm sure that she does. But I can definitely see your cunning and intelligence in her eyes."

"I pray that she doesn't, otherwise the next few years will be quite difficult for us." Zephyr replied, relishing the fact that he made his wife laugh before a more serious expression overcame his face. "But are you certain that you're well enough to move around so much? This last month hasn't been easy for you and the well wishers have only recently started to stop arriving at our front door."

Terra drew back from the infant before planting her hands on her hips and sending a playful glare at her husband. "Oh? Does my dear Huntsmen of a husband think his wife is so weak that she will faint just from entertaining well wishers?"

"You know what I mean." Zephyr replied in the same tone as he gently reached out and held his wife's hands, ribbing his thumbs in the center of her palms. "I am not overly concerned about your physical well being… more so your emotional wellness after...after what happened."

Terra's eyes instantly softened as she stepped forward into his embrace, wrapping her slender arms around his back. "Yes…it was close…but in the end we were given a blessing and I can't let myself fall into depression just because we almost lost her."

His wife was right, they had nearly lost her. Terra's weak constitution had greatly affected both her and the baby, to the point where their daughter was nearly gone the moment she took her first breath. The midwife had tried nearly everything she could to keep the young Faunus in this world, but as the agonizing seconds crawled forward nothing seemed to work.

And so Zephyr did the one thing that he never thought he would…he prayed. He begged whatever deities would listen to spare his daughter. The Brother Gods, The Wild One, he directed his plea to all the gods he knew of hoping that at least one would have mercy on his family.

And to his immense shock something had heard him. One second his newborn child was close to drawing her final breath and the next she was crying out with a volume that surprised them all, her formerly pale skin returning to a healthy pink.

The midwife, after ensuring that the child was indeed going to survive, all but sprinted from their house to tell all those who would listen about the divine blessing that had occurred in the house of one of Menagerie's few Huntsmen. With so many men and women gathered so close together the word spread like wildfire and it wasn't a day later that well wishers began to arrive at their door wishing to see the new life and offer food or gifts to the new parents.

The Hawk Faunus was of two minds about what had happened. On the one hand he was absolutely ecstatic, as he had seen his nearly deceased child return to a healthy color in a few seconds through some strange method. But at the same time he was a Huntsman, a warrior trained at Beacon academy to fight against the horrors of the world, and if there was one thing his professors had beaten into him was that there was no miracles. Only ones own hard work and skill could protect and save the innocent.

But looking down at the now calm infant's form, Zephyr couldn't help but think that maybe something was indeed looking out for the tiny angel, and if something had chosen to spare the innocent child then he could only feel grateful for their mercy.

His daughter, his precious Safira had wings...and while he was eternally grateful that she could have a chance at life, he couldn't help but be concerned for her future. Wings were an extremely uncommon trait, so much so that there were legends about their kind. Legends that spoke of grand destinies and vague prophecies. Many of the well-wishers had fallen to their knees, tears falling from their eyes, at the sight of his heir...it was terrifying in a way, all this expectation placed upon her small, fragile form. As unfortunately she had inherited her mother's frail constitution. So much so in fact, that the Elder who had performed the birthing had told him in private that he did not expect his daughter to live long, that he should be prepared for the worst.

But if there was one thing that could be said about their newborn daughter it was that she seemed to exist only to surprise others. On her back were to beautiful white wings, wings that may had compared to the wings of the fierce snow owls of the north.

"It's true that we nearly lost her, that her body may be weak like mine…that she will face the same hatred that all our kind must endure." Terra continued as she broke the embrace and reached down to stroke the infant's face, the child seemingly leaning into the touch. "But no matter what, she is still here, she's still breathing, she's still alive. And as our little gem is alive and well I will be here to make sure she has a loving family to always come back to."

Zephyr smiled at that. They had struggled to think of a name for the unborn child during the nine months of pregnancy, but once they had seen her beautiful blue hair they had easily decided on what to call her, her sapphire-like hair giving them newfound inspiration.

"Yes, and I will keep you both safe. My beautiful wife Terra, and my precious daughter… Safira." He answered as he led his wife out of the room and shut the light off.

* * *

Sarah waited until the child's parents, o _r should I call them my parents at this point? God this is so confusing,_ left before levitating over to the crib that held the child she was bound to, the ethereal teen hovering over the child and watching in amusement as the child looked up at her and giggled.

It had been a little over a month since she had found herself in this strange new would, bound by a white wire to a child and confused beyond belief. She didn't spend too long on the thought that she was dreaming, as the fight before her death and the subsequent time in the abyss kinda crushing that hope. But the animal ears and strange colorful hair and eyes she had seen from the guests that filtered though the baby's nursery clearly showed she wasn't on Earth anymore. So that led to the question of where exactly was she now?

That answer had come to her not that long after being forced to hover around an infant all day and hearing a few choice words come from the lips of the English speaking onlookers. Words such as Aura, Faunus, Vale…Huntsman.

And despite everything that screamed at her that it should be possible, that it had to be a delusion that her mind brought on due to the insanity of being left in a void of nothing for however long she was there, when Sarah looked out the window at night the shattered moon in the sky gave her an answer she couldn't refute.

She was on Remnant, the world of RWBY and one of her favorite stories from a time before fire consumed her country.

"No matter how many times I think about it I just can't wrap my head around it…and it's not like I can just ask you huh?" Sarah complained out loud as she wiggled her fingers in front of the infant named Safira, the child laughing as she tried to catch the quickly moving appendages.

Sarah had tried to get the attention of the child's parents, to let someone, anyone, know she was there. But no matter how loud she screamed or what she did they never even looked her way. Only young Safira would notice her, likely due to the bond they now shared, and as such the blue haired baby had essentially become her only outlet for conversation, even if her replies were only gurgles or laughs.

"I don't know if it was my god who did all this or maybe one of yours…but they're kinda cruel to just shove me into your life don't'cha think?" Sarah continued to talk to the baby, the winged Faunus tilting its head in confusion before yawing loudly.

 _Well, I guess it doesn't really matter why or how so much as that it did. And whatever did it saved me from an eternity of nothing._ Sarah thought as she floated away from the crib and landed a foot or so from the bed, a contemplative look on her ghostly face. _Another world…but not another chance. This kid has its own life to live, regardless of what I might want or know about…and even if she didn't do it herself, she saved me. She deserves a chance at happiness no matter what._

A new thought crept into Sarah's nonexistent skull, an idea that she always thought was so cool in stories but something no one would ever do in real life because of how outdated and how stupid they would look. But hey…it's not like anyone but a one month old kid could see her now anyway right? Why not just do it?

And so she did something she always wanted to. Sarah dropped down onto a knee and crossed her right hand over her chest and closed her eyes, just like a knight in a story would do when in front of a Princess.

"…I swear to you, Safira Ha-Neul; I will protect you till the day you too pass on. I will keep you safe in this world of monsters. No matter your path, no matter the thorns that may bar your way, I will always be by your side…" Sarah declared with all the solemness she could muster before rising back up and grinning down at the one month old girl, Safira seemingly returning the gesture. "Well then…I guess I look forward to working with you little angel, we're gonna be together for awhile after all."

* * *

 **hello everyone! started this story because i was challenged by a friend to try my hand at an OC-insert story and decided to give my own little twist on the template. I didn't really want Sarah to just be a normal kid who finds herself in a new world so I gave her some combat skills, not nearly enough to fight on the level of your average Huntsman or Huntress but enough to not be completely normal.**

 **until next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

**So people actually seemed interested in this story so I'll keep it going. would have normally had this chapter go on for awhile longer but unfortunately my computer decided it had enough of life and went out in a blaze of glory so this chapter was written mostly on my phone (Which dosent make it easy to write long chapters) but oh well! Hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

Safira ran as fast as her little legs could carry her, barely listening to all the adults telling her to slow down. Slow down? Stop running? Heck no! Not only was today one of the greatest days ever, because mommy had let her go to the market by herself to get dinner. And sure, she might be really tired after running around so much after getting to go outside again after so long but one of the adults by the place where all the ships came in told her the bestest news ever.

Her daddy was coming home today! He might even be home right now if she tried her hardest!

And so the young Faunus as fast as her little legs could carry her back in the direction of her home. Unfortunately, in her haste, she forgot to keep her wings tucked against her back. So when a rouge gust of wind blew through the crowded streets of the port market her animal appendages flared outward as they caught the air, pulling the startled girl upwards slightly before dropping her unceremoniously on the pavement.

The blue haired girl stared wide eyed at her skinned knee, completely shell shocked, before the pain began to set in. pain, so much more pain than the pre-schooler had ever felt in her life, began to overwhelm her and tears started to streak down her slightly chubby cheeks.

But before the Faunus could fully get the waterworks open a sigh drew her attention. _"See? I told you that it wasn't a good idea to run with so many people around."_ The black haired older girl commented an almost motherly smile on her face as she floated nearby.

"B-but…but Daddy…D-Daddy is…" The girl stuttered, trying her hardest to stop her tears despite the overwhelming pain in her knee.

But in the next second her focus was instantly draw away from the pain as she felt a warm hand on her head, gently petting her hair as her companion leaned down next to her. _"…Oh alright, just because today is so important and dad might be home I'll show you a secret to making pain go away."_ The girl declared in an almost smug voice, Safira's pain now completely forgotten as she looked up at into the blue eyes of her best friend.

"R-really?" The girl tried to confirm, almost as if she wasn't sure that the older girl was telling the truth, her grin only growing when the black haired girl nodded slowly. "Show me! Show me!"

 _"Well all right, if I have to."_ The older girl said with another sigh that even Safira knew was fake before placing her hand just over the little Faunus's knee. _"Pain, pain, go away!"_ The older girl chanted happily and before Safira's eyes her skinned knee fixed itself. The child couldn't believe her eyes as there was a brief flash of black-something and suddenly she didn't hurt so bad, her knee was still a little red where she skinned it but still, no more hurt!"

"Oh my gosh, that was so cool! You're the best Sarah!" The winged Faunus shouted as she jumped up to hug the floating girl, the older teen laughing lightly and patting Safira on the head.

 _"Your welcome, we're friends after all right? But don't you have something more important to do than just hugging me?"_ Sarah asked, Safira scrunching up her face in thought for a few seconds before remembering what she was doing.

"Oh right! Daddy! And Mommy wanted dinner!" The blue haired kid continued to shout as she whipped her head around to figure out where she had dropped the fish, found said scaly creatures, and took off in the direction of her home, Sarah gently floating just over her head as she always did when Safira was moving.

The blue haired Faunus couldn't help but grin widely as she enjoyed not being in crippling pain. She really loved Sarah, her bestest friend in the whole world. Her imaginary friend, at least that was what Mommy had called Sarah when Safira talked about her, was always around, always so nice, and told all the best stories whenever she got bored! Safira wasn't sure when she made up such an awesome best friend, cause' she couldn't remember there ever being a day when the black haired flying lady wasn't around, but she really didn't care. She was just so cool! And pretty soon she could show her off to other kids for the first time! So why worry about where the floating girl came from when she was Safira's only friend?

Besides, Daddy and dinner were more important right now.

Bursting through the door to her home with barely constrained energy, the five year old rushed into the kitchen to see her Mom working on a salad to go with dinner. "Mommy! I'm back! I got the fishies!" the little girl announced as she held up the aforementioned food, grinning confidently at her accomplishment.

Terra turned around and smiled down at her daughter and took the offered fish, making sure to pat her little girl on the head as she did so. "Good job honey, did you have fun in the market? You didn't talk to any strangers did you?" The older woman asked as she started to prepare the fish, not fully able to keep the worry out of her voice.

"Nope! Sarah told me that it wouldn't be good to talk to strangers so found the nice uncle who gives us fish, gave him the money, and he gave me the fish!" Safira answered as she took a seat at the table, swinging her feet back and forth to pass the time and to catch her breath after she ran faster than she ever had before back home.

Terra chuckled at the mention of her daughters best "Friend" "Oh really? Then I guess I'll have to thank her then; thank you very much for looking after my daughter Sarah."

 _"I'd say to tell your mom that I'm happy to help, but I don't think she thinks I exist."_ Sarah commented from above the table with a pout on her lips, Safira giggling at her best friend's sad tone.

"She say's your welcome!" Safira relayed as she continued to glace around the small kitchen, looking for the last of her three family members. "Mommy? Isn't Daddy back yet?"

"No honey, Daddy had to go talk to the Chieftain about his job, but he should be home in time for dinner." The armadillo Faunus said as she put a bowl of various chopped vegetables on the table. "So while we wait why don't you help me make dinner? After you wash your hands first of course, wouldn't want you getting sick for tomorrow after all."

"Ok Mom!" The green eyed girl answered with her usual cheer as she jumped off her chair to join her mom at the counter, watching in fascination as she prepared the fish. The two women of the Ha-Neul family continued to prepare their dinner, ensuring that Safira would have enough food to satisfy her larger than normal appetite, talking about nothing in particular. That was of course until Sarah floated through one of the walls, having gone wherever she went when Safira wasn't paying attention to her imaginary friend, a wide grin on her face.

 _"Safira, you should go to the front door…there might be a surprise waiting for you."_ Her black haired friend announced, the younger girl tilting her head in confusion for a moment before suddenly figuring out what the surprise was, the grin on her face growing impossibly wider.

Running from the kitchen, Safira was just in time to see her father walk through the door and place his massive axe against the nearby wall. Safira loved her Daddy; he was so tall and so strong that he was just as cool as Sarah if not even cooler. And he was even a Huntsman! For as long as Safira could remember the young Faunus had been warned against the Grimm, Mommy and Daddy never letting her leave the house long enough to see one but telling her all the time how bad they were, and her Daddy was one of the people who made sure all the bad things outside their home. He was super strong, super smart, and super awesome!

But on the other hand, Safira couldn't help but feel a little afraid of her dad. His Faunus side his hawk eyes were really scary when he was staring at you and he always looked angry at her even when she didn't do something bad. She used to think that her dad was a bad person, but Sarah told her one day that her dad was just really shy so he didn't like showing how he felt. She never quite got what the older girl was talking about, but she really didn't care so long as her Daddy still loved her.

"Daddy!" She shouted as she leapt into the air, fully confident that her father would catch her and return her hug. Her expectations easily met as her father pulled her close.

"Safira, it's good to see you." Her father calmly greeted a faint smile on his lips as his scary eyes quickly checked her over. "…you look tired."

"A little, Mommy let me go to the market today!" Safira answered as her father put her back down, her mommy wiping her hands on her apron before joining them in the entryway.

"Oh? Is that so?" Daddy commented with a strange, almost happy tone in his voice, as he leaned in and kissed Mommy on the cheek while Safira made a "Yucky" face over the adult stuff happening over her head. "I could have sworn that when I left you still weren't allowed to go out by yourself."

"Well our little Angel here was just so well behaved, and we did need so food for tonight so I decided it was time for her to do a big girl errand." Mommy answered in the same weird voice her daddy was using. "And besides, she's going to be on her own tomorrow anyway so why not let her get a taste of what it's like to be by herself?"

Oh right! Safira had completely forgotten about that! Tomorrow she started that school thingy that Sarah and her parents had told her about!

"Ohhhh ya! School! I get to meet other kids, and learn stuff and be outside and…and…" The young Faunus trailed off trying to think of what else she wanted to say.

 _'Socialize'_

"I get to socialize right?" The blue haired five year old finished, her parents staring at her strangely for a second before her Mommy made a happy noise and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Well look at you using such a big word, our little girl is growing up so fast!" Mommy cooed as their family went back to the dining room. "That's right honey, tomorrow you'll get to meet all sorts of new people, and maybe you'll get to have another friend besides Sarah."

Safira's smile widened even more after that, the thought of making friends besides for her flying friend almost too much to bear. "Yup! I can't wait!"

* * *

Sarah watched with patience as Safira's parents tucked the little girl in for the night. After spending the last five years watching her charge constantly, through the most mundane moments of a child's life, the ex-assassin had developed a level of patience unmatched by mortal men along with an ability to contemplate life, well un-life more accurately, during the times when her little companion wasn't capable of talking to her.

Over the last five years she had spent every night, as she no longer had the ability to sleep, mentally going over every single aspect of RWBY that she could remember from her time as a living person; from the most major of plot points to every throwaway line she could remember…although it wasn't like she could tell whether or not any of her information would ever be needed…of course assuming that any of her knowledge would come into play in the current era.

Five years, she had spent five years ghosting around the house her little charge had been born into yet despite all the time that Sarah spent hovering in the corners of the small house she had yet to hear anyone mention something, anything, that would give her a clue as to when she was. No conversations about the extremist Faunus rights group; The White Fang, or the Belladonna's, the only Faunus family that she was absolutely certain lived in Menagerie at one point. She had heard mentions of a Chieftain, a position she remembered being held by Blake's father, but Safira's parents had never referred to the person by anything but their title so that was a bust. And with her limited range of movement she couldn't exactly go off and try and find out if they were in charge.

So Sarah had decided to do one of the only things she could until her future knowledge became useful; ensure that the little girl she was bound to was well protected and smarter than her future peers.

The teaching part of her duties wasn't too difficult, as while Sarah didn't exactly consider herself to smartest of specters but she at least knew everything that might come up in a five year old's life. But the other part of her duties was getting somewhat more difficult as the little bundle of trouble seemingly tried her hardest to hurt herself. But thankfully she did have an ace up her sleeve that she discovered just recently, her Aura.

It hadn't been long since Sarah somehow released the strange, otherworldly energy and as such she only had a basic understanding of what to do with the black energy that sometimes swirled around her ethereal limbs. And it wasn't like she could ask any to explain the concept to her as only one person in the world knew she existed and she defiantly didn't understand the intricacies of personal force fields. So far all she had been able to figure out was how to heal the small scrapes and bruises Safira got in the course of being a kid and the ability to change her outfit into whatever she wanted, usually a plain white dress like what most stories tended to put the dead in, the spiritual assassin thankful beyond words for the fact that she wasn't going to traumatize Safira with her previous appearance of what could only be described as a vengeful spirit.

From what she could tell, the Aura somehow was generated from…well, inside her soul but as far as what generated it or how much she had she couldn't figure it out. Sure there was a possibility that it was coming from Safira, as the little girl seemed to consume almost twice her own body weight in food a day without a single extra pound, but that explanation didn't really hold water with the disembodied spirit. For one the back energy that surrounded her body never traveled down their bond, remaining stubbornly around her outline unless she clumsily directed it elsewhere.

 _And that's not even mentioning the fact that this Aura stuff seems to be-._ Sarah's thoughts were interrupted when she felt a tug on the thin white cord that connected her to the little Faunus. The spirit girl turning around while ignoring the surreal feeling she still got when she felt something through the cord. Just as she expected, Safira was pouting in her bed, her tiny green eyes staring at her from underneath her covers.

Hiding a chuckle behind her hand, the specter floated back to the child's bedside before smiling down at Safira. _"Yes, Safira? What's wrong?"_ she asked, noticing both the worried look on the young Faunus's face while also feeling a sense of anxiety across their bond.

"U-umm…about tomorrow…" the little girl trailed off, fighting slightly as she glanced around the room.

Even if Sarah hadn't been more than capable to read others with her…unique skill set, Sarah could easily see that the little winged Faunus was feeling more than a little nervous at the prospect of going to school with other kids was eating at her. Chuckling lightly, Sarah placed a hand over the tiny angels head, enjoying the slight feeling of warmth that traveled up her ghostly appendage, one of the only things she could feel now that she was dead. _"You don't need to worry Safira, you'll be fine."_

"B-But…Mommy says that there'll be other kids there…I-I don't…" The little girl started to cry slightly, her nerves clearly getting to her.

But Sarah was more than prepared for this, making sure to focus on her feelings of confidence and reassurance, noticing an almost instant lessening of Safira's quiet sobs. _"Safira; while I can't say that everyone there will like you, I know that you'll find other kids to be friends with. After all, I'm your friend, and I never really had friends before you."_ The spirit admitted, stretching the truth slightly but knowing the child wouldn't pick up on it.

And sure enough she didn't, Safira's bright grin so infectious that Sarah couldn't help but feel hers grow even more. "Ok! If you say so!"

 _Well, if they don't then I can always go poltergeist on the little shits, been meaning to find a reason to try using my Aura for more than just healing._ Sarah mentally shrugged as the little blue haired girl snuggled deeper down into her covers. One of the first experiments she had preformed with her Aura was to use it to touch, and while it wasn't exactly efficient, as she expended nearly an entire days worth of the energy just to lightly tap something, it was something. And with a good deal of creativity she was certain she could figure out some way to traumatize a bunch of kids.

"Can you tell me more of the story tonight? The one with the really strong half god guy? I liked that one!" The girl eventually asked, Sarah continuing to smile as she bowed slightly.

 _"Of course I can…let's see… after Hercules defeated the big evil Grimm Lion he was told by the king of gods to kill a nine headed snake monster. But this monster wasn't normal…"_

.

.

.

 _"…And so, using that fire, the Hydra died in fire. Hercules completing his second…"_ Sarah trailed off, realizing that her soul companion had long ago fallen asleep. The spirit assassin leaned down to kiss the girl on the forehead before floating into the air and through the wall that separated the little girl from the tiny family room of their house. Over the years the distance the disembodied spirit was able to get farther and farther away from Safira, from at first only being able to go a few feet before the spirit cord between them grew taunt till now where she could get to around twenty feet away before she was forced to stop.

And that increased distance served her well now, as she was more than capable of passing through the walls of the tiny house till she found Safira's parents, both Faunus sitting at the table in the kitchen. Terra looked slightly concerned, her hands clenched and her eyes down, while Zephyr was busy preparing coffee for them.

"I still think it would be better for us to just home school her. With Elder Snow in charge of her class she'll be singled out and well…" Terra muttered quietly, her anxiety clear in her voice as she rubbed her palms together. "I thought that giving her a chance to roam by herself today would help but…when she came back she looked so tired that I almost wanted to make her stay home tomorrow."

"Perhaps you are right...but we cannot keep her isolated for her whole life. She is a daughter of the Ha-Neul family and as such must learn to conduct herself properly." Zephyr replied with an almost dispassionate tone, Terra sending a halfhearted glare in response.

"I know that, I Just never thought we could…I just…I'm just worried about how she'll get along with other kids." Terra admitted as she stood up in a huff, beginning to pace the room while Zephyr simply watched her. "I know that I should be thankful that she's as active as she is, but her body is just as weak as mine was when I was her age. If she pushes herself too hard, or gets too stressed then…I just don't want her to get hurt."

The silence in the kitchen after that statement was so dense it was practically physical, to the point where even Sarah was able to pick up on it without even being a physical being. But the moment passed when Zephyr walked over to his wife and placed his hands on her shoulders, a rare smile on his face. "I understand the fear, but we should trust her. She's always been a very well behaved child after all."

 _"Pshh, your welcome for that by the way."_ Sarah couldn't help but comment as she rolled her eyes, knowing full well that the Faunus couldn't hear her. The truth is that Safira had been exactly like every other toddler, crying in the middle of the night for reasons beyond comprehension, getting fussy over every little thing. But it was at those times that the strange connection between the two girls came into play. Somehow, for reasons far beyond her seventeen year old understanding, the two could almost exchange feelings if they were strong enough, almost like the white cord that bound them connected their souls on a much deeper level than its flimsy appearance would suggest. If Safira was feeling down or upset, like any infant would at some point in time after being stuck in a crib all day, Safira would feel it and if she concentrated hard enough on more positive emotions she could almost force them on the little Faunus, or at least she assumed that's how it worked as Safira wasn't exactly capable of holding in depth conversations about their souls just yet.

And that wasn't even counting the even stranger connections that their bond seemed to give them. It was almost as if they could share…thoughts? parts of their very being? Sarah wasn't sure what exactly to call the strange sensations that passed though her thoughts sometimes seemingly at random. Less than a week ago Safira had eaten steak for the first time in her life, as apparently a ship carrying cattle showed up at port that day, and as the little winged Faunus tore into her meal Sarah got the distinct impression of said meat being in her mouth despite not having eaten anything in years.

And while she hadn't brought it up to the green eyed girl Sarah was almost certain that the little Faunus was experiencing something similar. Somehow, the little hellion seemed to pull words and knowledge from Sarah without the spectral teen even knowing it was happening. Like how she pulled some of the more complicated vocabulary out of thin air. Sarah had never been exactly one of the smartest kids back when schools had been a thing in her world, so she was pretty certain that she had never used the word "socialize" in this world and as far as she knew neither of the girl's parents used it often enough either. Sp then how exactly did the little Faunus pick up on that word?

But the ethereal assassin didn't have any more time to consider their bonded souls, as she realized that the conversation was still going on despite her thoughts. "…And Snow said he wouldn't treat her differently? When did you have time…?" Terra was asking, likely still trying to ensure that things tomorrow wouldn't go from bad to worse.

"Yes, and to answer your next question none of the other elders swore to keep away from the school for the day." Zephyr answered with a patient sigh before going over and gently massaging his wife's shoulders. "…Though if you require further convincing I'm sure that I can find some way to…comfort you."

"Oh? And what exactly did you have in mind?" Terra questioned with a coy tone of voice and a look that made Sarah's nonexistent blood rush to her cheeks.

 _"Ok well, that's enough listening on you two for the night…r-right."_ Sarah decided, trying her hardest to ignore the stutter in her own voice as she slowly floated through the ceiling until she was resting on the roof of their humble home.

Stargazing was one thing that she had learned to appreciate over the lonely years of watching Safira. Back when she had been alive she hadn't really had the time to just stop and watch the night sky, and even if she did most of the time the sky would've been obscured by smoke. But here, in another world, the sky was absolutely stunning. Because the Faunus all had nearly perfect night vision Menagerie had almost no streetlights, leaving the night sky almost completely filled.

In truth, Sarah had nearly the same concerns as Safira's parents about what was going to happen. While she got why they kept their little girl safe and sound by keeping her inside the house at nearly all times, it also meant had almost never interacted with other kids her age. That wasn't even taking into account the whispering that all the adults did behind her back on the few occasions that Terra did take her out on errands.

She couldn't exactly blame them of course, because she was completely responsible for the rumors of Safira being blessed by the gods and other such otherworldly beings…and they weren't exactly wrong. But while she didn't hold the rumors against them, she did not appreciate the adults in the young winged girl's life putting her on a pedestal for something they couldn't even prove. And if those rumormonger's had talked about this kind of stuff around their kids…well, she didn't doubt that the other kids in the class would treat her differently.

 _"Hopefully the kids don't single her out…and if they do well then I have been looking for a reason to practice using my Aura on physical stuff. If someone gets a little too uppity with her then I can just go poltergeist on them."_ Sarah decided with a shrug as she continued to study the stars, trying to ignore the anxiety she was feeling for her little Faunus, knowing that if it grew too strong it would wake the winged girl down below

* * *

 **Not exactly the most extincting of chapters but wanted to establish what advantages, disadvantages Sarah gets from being just a spirit, at least for the beginning chapters. until next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

Safira was so, so, nervous. So nervous that a part of her just wanted to run for the safety of her home and hide under the covers until her mommy came to find her and tell her how it wasn't ok to skip school.

It was her first day, and after being dropped off with a kiss and a hug Safira was now standing in the front of class, more kids than she had ever seen in her life staring back at her, each one a different age and with different looks. heck, there had to be at least twenty kids sitting around in the elders living room, the place where they were gonna have their classes.

 _Nnnn…I-I wanna go home._ The winged Faunus very nearly cried, desperately trying to not run away but losing her will to remain with every passing second.

Fortunately, or unfortunately maybe she still wasn't sure, she never got the chance to run. As a warm hand patted her on the head and drew her attention away from the stares, a hand that she eventually realized belonged to her best friend in the whole world.

 _"Calm down Safira, just take a deep breath, hold it for a second, and breath out. Everything will be fine."_ Sarah told her with a laugh, Safira pouting slightly for a second before following her imaginary friend's advice.

…and it worked. When she let out her big gulp of air she felt…better, not super-duper better, but better.

She would've thanked the older girl, but before she could the elder in charge of the class, a really, really, old guy named Snow, stepped forward and cleared his throat drawing the classes attention to him.

"Everyone, we have a new child joining us today. This is Safira Ha-Neul, daughter of Zephyr and Terra Ha-Neul. I expect each of you to treat her how she deserves to be treated…understood?" The old teacher said, his voice kinda strange at the end but Safira was really just too nervous to think about it much…plus adults always sounded weird so it wasn't really that weird.

The kids sitting around the elder's house, a place that Sarah said was weird for school but Safira didn't see why, all nodded before looking at her again, Safira flinching under their stares only to shuffle her foot against the floor.

"Now that introductions are out of the way we can beginning class. Ha-Neul, please take a seat wherever you wish."

"Ok!" The winged Faunus shouted back, trying really hard to sound as excited as she could, Mom did say that the other kids would like her better if she was really friendly. But as she turned to take a spot in the front she couldn't help but stop. They were all still looking at her…and no one was smiling.

 _I…I changed my mind, I don't wanna sit in the front._ Safira decided as she nervously ducked her head and maneuvered around the outside of the group to sit in the back, her head down and her cheeks red the entire time. _N-nothing's going right…I thought I people would like me more._

 _"Oh Safira, don't worry so much. I'm sure at least someone here will like you. There's just not really any time for them to get to know you now that class is starting."_ Sarah replied to the young girl's thoughts both ignoring Elder Snow as he began to talk about adding things together, something Safira had learned ages ago from her imaginary friend.

"Nnnn…" Safira whined, realizing only a second later that she was complaining out loud and that her new classmates were looking at her strangely causing her to blush even harder and lower her head.

 _"Ya, it's probably a good idea to not talk to me out loud around others little angel, that's just going to make it harder to make friends."_ The older girl commented with a giggle as she drifted away, Safira's pout only growing worse despite the fact that she managed to keep her lips sealed.

Once the floating girl stopped talking Safira focused on what the old man was saying…and she was really happy she did. While the math and English lessons were really boring, like really boring since Safira talked about that kinda stuff already, the history stuff was really interesting. Elder Snow talked about how a really long time ago all the different Faunus lived in something called "Tribes" which were like really big families. The Faunus in those tribes all had the same traits…which was kinda weird to think about since everyone in Menagerie had really different looks.

But eventually the old teacher decided it was time for everyone to take a break and eat lunch and that was why Safira now found herself standing off to the side in the Elder's big backyard. All the other kids having formed little groups as they talked and ate their lunches leaving her by herself.

 _This is perfect! I can just go up to a group, give them some of my lunch, and then we can be friends!_ The young winged Faunus thought in excitement, proud that she could come up with such a foolproof plan to make some friends.

 _"Well…I suppose it might work…you are all young after all and food is a good way for kids to get to know each other."_ Sarah commented with a shrug as she walked alongside the winged Faunus as the younger girl made her way over to the biggest group of kids. _"Just remember, it might not be that easy."_

Safira paused at that, blinking owlishly up at the worried looking older girl. Why would sharing her lunch not make her friends? Her mom's cooking was the best after all, why would people not want to be friends with her once she shared it?

But Safira didn't have time to ask, as she realized that a lot of the kids in the group were looking at her weird, so instead of asking what the imaginary person was talking about she instead tried to smile as wide as she could as she stopped before them.

"H-heya everyone! Can I join you? My mom gave me extra lunch to share and stuff so I just thought I should, you know, share!" Safira half shouted, her nerves getting to her, as she held said lunch. But despite how friendly she was being no one said anything, all the kids looking at each other kind of nervously, which in turn made Safira nervous. What did she do wrong? Did she say something she shouldn't have? What if…what if they didn't like her already?

 _"Breath Safira, just breath. Everything will be fine."_ Sarah advised as the young Faunus grabbed the bottom of her dress in worry, a habit she always fell back on when she was nervous and couldn't go to Sarah for help.

But before she could ask her only friend for help with what to do one of the kids stood up, crossed his arms, and glared at her. he was a little older than Safira, maybe a year or two and was about a head taller. His bright red hair was wild and unkept but somehow only made the black horns on either side of his head all the scarier. He was dressed in black pants and a black tee shirt and his brown eyes were narrowed as he slowly looked her up and down with a look on his face that made the winged girl really, really nervous.

"…Hmph." The boy snorted as he crossed his arms. "No, you can't eat with us, now go away."

Safira felt a cold chunk of ice settle in her stomach at the kid telling her no, but tried desperately to keep it off her face as she looked at the ground. "O-oh…w-why?"

"'Cause we don't wanna hang out with some stupid seagull girl!" The boy sneered, the icy pit in Safira's stomach quickly being replaced by a fire, the young Faunas openly gaping at the older boy in anger.

"Wha…Seagull! M-my wings aren't…!" Safira shouted back, she was just so angry, so angry that she couldn't even think of a good insult for the kid with horns.

"No? 'Cause it makes sense to me. You just came in outa nowhere, started squawking about food, and have really stupid wings. Sounds like a seagull." The boy continued, his mean grin only getting bigger. "So why don't you get outta here seagull girl? No one wants to eat with you."

Safira stared at the ground as she tried desperately to keep from crying, from both anger and frustration. She wanted to shout back at him, to throw something at his stupid smug face, to cry and run away, but she just couldn't decide which one to do. So, in the end she reached the brilliant idea to do both.

Shutting her eyes and screaming in to try and get rid of all the bad feelings in her chest, Safira immediately tossed whatever was in her right hand at that moment at the idiot who made fun of her wings. She heard the bully cry out in surprise and pain, making her smile slightly despite the horrible feeling in her gut, before she turned around and ran to the far side of the backyard and hid behind the wall of the Elders house.

It was at that point that the winged Faunus couldn't stop the sobs from escaping from her lips, her body twitching occasionally as she tried to keep herself from crying. What did she do wrong? All she did was ask if they wanted to eat together, was that so wrong? Did she do something wrong during class? But all she did was listen just like her dad had told her to!

 _Is…is it really 'cause of my wings? Is that why they hate me?_

Only seconds after thinking about the two white wings on her back Safira yelped in surprise when she saw and felt a pair of arms wrap around her back pulling her into a really warm seat. She looked up in surprise to see her imaginary friend, now likely her only friend, staring down at her with a really sad smile as she pulled the younger girl further into her chest.

 _"Sorry Safira. I was hoping that the kids here would be better than making fun of you just because your different…but I guess I overestimated them."_ The older girl apologized, her grip growing tighter for a brief second at the mention of the other kids but Safira was too upset to think about why.

"Overestamated?" Safira tried to repeat the word she didn't recognize, Sarah flinching slightly before sighing.

 _"I thought they would be better than insulting you because you have wings…but I guess brats will be brats."_ Sarah explained with a huff, Safira laughing quietly through the hiccups at the brown-haired woman before staring down at the woman's lap that was half in the ground to give her a comfortable seat.

"Oh…did…did I do something wrong? I tried to be friendly like you and mommy told me to, but they…" Safira started to ask, trailing off when the miserable feeling in her stomach returned.

 _"No, not at all. You did everything you could to make friends with that group of idiots."_ Sarah quickly denied as she leaned forward to rest her chin on the top of Safira's head, the imaginary girl's hair falling across the Faunus's vision and tickling her nose. _"Sometimes kids are just jerks and there's nothing you can really do to make it better…. well, not you per say…but I might be…"_ The older woman trailed off, a weird, almost happy and angry look on her face.

"What?"

 _"No, it's nothing, don't worry about it."_ The older woman replied with a really weird laugh. _"But hey, look on the bright side, at least the classes are interesting right?"_

"Oh ya! It was really cool! I mean, he isn't as good at math as you are, but all the other stuff was really fun!" Safira replied, her eyes bright as she thought back to the lecture.

 _"He's not actually bad at math Safira, he just was just trying to keep it easy to understand for all the other kids. Not everyone has one of me around to help them with math."_ Sarah replied with a roll of her eyes, Safira blinking up at her for a second before shrugging.

"Oh, ok." She really didn't get it, why wouldn't everyone want an imaginary friend to help them out? But she didn't really wanna think about it anymore. "Well, if no one wants to eat with me then you can! Mommy said she made my favorite foo-…where's my lunch?" Safira continued as she looked down, only noticing then that her lunch box was nowhere in sight.

 _"Safira…you threw your lunch at that other kid, you don't have any food now."_ Sarah explained apologetically, Safira staring down at her now empty hands with a blank expression.

She decided, then and there, that she would never like that bull-headed dummy.

* * *

"Your mother tells me that you have been avoiding discussing your schooling with her. Is there anything you would like to tell me about?" Zephyr asked as he slowly moved through his early morning stretches, Safira was trying her hardest to mirror her daddy's movements but flinching at his question. Ever since she had turned four the head of the Ha-Neul family had insisted that his daughter begin preforming morning exercises alongside her father, that even if she wouldn't pursue a life of combat the flexibility and endurance gained from early training would benefit her regardless. And while she really didn't like the really sore feeling it gave her she really did like spending time with her dad…assuming that he wasn't asking questions like that.

It had been two weeks since the winged girl had started school and nothing was going right. Sure, the lessons weren't really all that hard, and Sarah was always nearby to help with homework, but everything else just kinda…sucked.

Bullhead, the name she gave to the kid who was a jerk to her that first day, just wouldn't leave her alone. He was always there; making fun of her if she answered something weird or talked to Safira he was there to make fun of her. he was just…such a jerk! Sure, she wasn't exactly too friendly with the dummy but she didn't even do anything to start with and he was still a big meanny to her!

But at least Bullhead would talk to her, even if he was only to insult her. Every other kid in her class would either flinch and stare at the ground if she tried to talk to her or would just ignore her! And she just couldn't get why they were so weird around her. Heck, not even Sarah could figure out why exactly she was still friendless…or nearly friendless, her imaginary friend only able to offer her hugs when she needed them, which was nice but not really wat she needed.

All in all, the last few weeks had been absolutely the worst ever and the young Faunus has spent more than one night crying herself to sleep. She tried to hid how miserable she was from mom and dad, she was certain that her parents had picked up on her feelings even though she was really good at lying about how she was feeling.

A skill she was quick to put into practice as she continued her stretches. "N-no! not really…everything's fine!" Safira replied with a rapid shaking of her head, flinching slightly as she pulled something in the back of her leg as she leaned forward to stretch out her arms.

Her dad continued to look at her with the same look he always had on his face, a blank stare, so Safira was really sure that he bought her lie.

"I see…that's good then." Zephyr commented without changing his expression, Safira internally smiling now that she was sure she had fooled him. "Ensure that you do not cause any trouble for the Elder and do not shame our name in your class."

"Y-yes daddy." Safira responded after a moment, the young girl trying really hard to stop breathing heavily. All the morning exercises really tired her out, and she hadn't even gone to class yet! But thankfully her mom had breakfast ready for them when they went back inside.

"Zephyr, Sweetie, how was your exercises?" Mom asked with a really big smile on her face, Safira's mood instantly improving at the site of one of her parents smiling down at her and patting her on the head.

"Ok I guess…still really hard." The youngest member of the Ha-Neul replied as she took her seat at the table. The three Faunus ate their breakfast in relative peace, Safira asking about what her parents were going to do for the day while they asked her about her lessons. But eventually the time came for Terra to drop her off at class, the two women moving slowly through the city in the direction of the Elders home.

As they slowly approached Safira couldn't help but feel an awful feeling in the pit of her stomach, another day of school, another day of having no friends, of being alone 'cause of some stupid reason she didn't get. Sarah hadn't really given her any real reason for why she was all alone, even though the imaginary friend had been ghosting around the Elder's house the entire last week looking for a reason why.

But Safira's thoughts were interrupted when she felt a warm hand on her head, the person's fingers gently moving through her hair in a comforting motion. The winged Faunus looked up to see her mom looking down at her with a weird expression, almost like she was worried she was going to cry but not quite.

"…Mommy?"

"…Safira, I just wanted to…" Terra started, only to pause and seemingly chewing on her words for a moment before shaking her head slightly. "No, never mind. Just remember that if you ever want to talk about something, anything, both your dad and I are always willing to listen."

"…Ok?" Safira eventually replied with a confused tilt of her head before smiling, hugging her mom, and walking through the front door to the Elders home. Of course, her smile didn't last for long, as almost immediately Bullhead sneered at her as she made her way into the big room where they had their lessons.

"Hey Seagull, why are you making such a stupid looking face? Did you not get a chance to steal some trash before class?" the red-haired brat mocked, Sarah flying forward to glare down at the kid.

 _"If this kid doesn't stop trying to pick a fight with you then he's going to learn firsthand what happens when a ghost gets truly angry."_ The older girl threatened as she slowly began to circle the kid, Bullhead shivering slightly and looking over his shoulder like he thought someone was trying to sneak up on him.

Safira wanted to laugh, to giggle over her best friend's antics, but after the third time someone looked at her really weirdly for talking to herself they both decided that she should just try to ignore whatever the older girl was doing unless it was really, really important. Instead she tried to put on her best pouting face.

"No dummy! Mommy made me a really good breakfast so ha!" Safira replied as she stomped past the boy, keeping her chin up and her eyes on anything but the bull Faunus as she moved past.

The lessons for the day was mostly about words, and how to write sentences like an adult would. Safira found it so simple she was half tempted to just nap through the lesson, but decided against it when the Elder praised her for how well she was doing before commenting how awful Bullhead was doing instead. So instead of taking a mid-morning nap she instead decided that the best use of her time was to smile smugly at the jerk whenever Elder Snow wasn't looking.

Sure, daddy might not like her rubbing her smarts in the faces of others but…he wasn't at the class to see her make a face so she wasn't doing anything wrong! At least not until Elder Snow saw her.

But the morning lessons eventually ended, and as such Safira now found herself in one of the most depressing parts of the day, lunch time.

The winged Faunus had tried so many times to spend her lunch times talking with other kids during the brief break between morning and afternoon classes. Heck, she even tried to talk to some of the older kids! But even if they talked to her they would only answer in one word replies and at worst they wouldn't even look at her! Like she was some kinda weirdo or something.

 _I kinda don't even want to try today…what's the point of trying if no one wants to be my friend?_ Safira couldn't help but think as she kicked at a pebble a just minding its own business by her foot away from her little corner of the Elders backyard.

 _"Come on Safira, don't think like that. I'm sure that someone hear wants to be your friend."_ Sarah replied from somewhere over the girl's shoulder, the young Faunus not bothering to turn around to see where her imaginary friend was hanging around, especially when she was listening in on Safira's thoughts. _"…here, why don't you go talk to that girl over there. She looks like she's a good person."_ She continued as she floated into view and pointed off at the back of the yard.

Safira followed her only friends finger until she saw another girl sitting by herself under one of the few palm trees that dotted the Elders backyard. She looked like she was around Safira's age, she was just as small as the winged Faunus after all, and was looking down at something in her lap. The girl's hair was black and cut short, just barely reaching her neck, and on top of her scalp Safira could just make out two very cute extra ears occasionally twitching when someone walked by her.

"U-umm…do you really think I should? She's…she's just gonna ignore me like everyone else…" Safira muttered under her breath as Sarah floated into her line of sight, gesturing over at the black-haired girl with a gentle smile on her face.

 _"She might, I can't guarantee that she won't, but if you don't try you'll never know."_ Sarah answered as she floated over to once again place a hand on the younger girl's head, Safira drawing more courage from the simple action than she probably should. _"Don't worry, I'll be with you the whole time just in case you need me."_

Safira took a deep breath, trying really hard to work up the courage to once again go over there and try and make a real friend, before finally nodding up at the older girl. "…Ok." She said simply as she started to walk over.

Safira could see the girl's ears twitch as she made her way over, the girl looking up at her after she figured out that the blue-haired girl was moving in her direction. The girl's eyes were a vibrant yellow, the color causing Safira's barely adequate courage to falter, but despite the unusual color the girls eyes were filled with…well, Safira wasn't really sure what, but it defiantly wasn't the same look all the other kids kept giving her when she tried to talk to them

She almost looked scared, but Safira wasn't scary at all so that couldn't be it.

Safira stopped a few feet away from the black-haired girl, the winged Faunus shuffling her feet as she tried to think of something to say. "H-hello…u-umm…what are you doing over here?" she started off, Sarah sighing heavily from over her shoulder.

 _"Safira, you're supposed to introduce yourself first. Its common courtesy."_

"Oh! Uh- I'm Safira by the way…nice to meet you."

"…Nice to meet you." The other girl replied after a second, refusing to meet her eyes as she returned the greeting.

 _She replied with more than one word! That's more than anyone else has given me! Maybe she really will be my friend!_ Safira couldn't help but think in happiness, trying really hard to keep her excitement off of her face. The two were silent then, Safira trying desperately to think about what to do now, while the girl simply stared up at her warily.

 _"Ask her about the book in her lap Safira, and remember to breathe."_ Sarah continued, Safira nodding, sucking in a deep breath, and staring down at the really big book in the girl's lap.

"T-that's a really big book…you can read that?" Safira asked, kinda awed by the fact that a girl her age could read a book with so many pages.

The girl looked down at the book, her cheeks turning a slight pink color for reasons Safira couldn't identify. "N-no…my mom looked like she was enjoying reading it so I thought I would try to read it…but the words are really big and I can't understand them."

"Ah…Well I can read it for you! If you want me to of course." Safira offered, puffing out her chest in both pride over thinking of a way to make a friend and the fact that she was such a good reader.

The girl however didn't appear to believe her, looking up at her though narrowed eyes. "…Really?"

"Yep! I read all the time!" she continued to brag as she sat down by the girl's side and peered down at the page the girl had open…only to freeze in terror.

Words…so many words. The two pages before her were filled with line after line of horrifyingly small words, too many to count. And there wasn't a single picture anywhere in sight.

 _Oh god…how can anyone read this?! Her mom must be some kinda super genius! Wh-what am I gonna do?_ Safira couldn't help but think in panic as she looked up at her imaginary friend with a horrified expression. The older girl sighing and placing her hands on her hips.

 _"Alright, alright, I'll read it for you."_ Sarah said as she ghosted over the two girl's heads to stare down at the book. _"But don't think you and I are going to have a conversation about you putting yourself on the spot by claiming you can do something far beyond your capabilities."_

Safira couldn't help but flinch at that, for being nothing more than an imaginary friend Sarah could go on and on when she wanted to. And Safira couldn't even get away from her like she sometimes could when Mommy tried to give her a talking to.

But that was for later, first came impressing her kinda-sorta friend. "Yep! I can read this…Akechi glared at the woman who had managed to best him. Her Katana pressed against the soft flesh of his throat. To be captured by a female of another clan, likely to be s-subjected to their more unique forms of int-interrogation, how humiliating." Safira confirmed before repeating after the older of the two black haired girls only struggling a little on the words she didn't recognize.

But her few stutters didn't seem to matter to the books owner, the cat eared girl staring at her with an absolutely shocked expression. "Wow…I didn't really think you could read this…that's really impressive!" She complimented, a really happy look on her face that made Safira blush slightly. "C-can you keep reading for me? You know, if it's alright with you?"

Safira didn't even bother to keep the smile off her face, her cheeks practically hurting with how wide her smile was. "Sure! Yep! I'd be happy to…uh."

"Oh right…I'm Blake, Blake Belladonna. It's nice to meet you Safira." The girl now introduced as Blake said with a smile.

Safira opened her mouth to reply, to let her only living friend that she was happy to meet her too, but before she could she felt a really weird feeling coming from the back of her head. Like someone had hit her really hard in the back of the head mixed with not being able to breathe. She looked over her shoulder to see Sarah staring at Blake with a really weird expression, her eyes wider than a fish and her mouth so wide that if she was real she could catch flies in her mouth. But before the winged five-year-old could question why she looked so weird the older girl shook her head rapidly and focused her gaze on Safira, gesturing with her eyes to look back at the pages.

And so, the two girls spent their lunch break reading the book. Safira really didn't get the story, something about some Samurai, whatever that was, being captured by a bunch of women who…toyed with him? Sarah had been kinda vague when they got to that part. But there were swords and fighting and stuff occasionally so that was cool. Although the title of the book kinda confused her, she got where the Samurai part of it came from, but Safira didn't see anything about "Of Love" maybe that would come up later.

And just when they were getting to a good part, when the main character was talking about "unsheathing his katana" Elder Snow showed back up, clapping to get the attention of all the kids and gesturing for them to come back inside.

Safira couldn't help but feel depressed about that, finally someone had been willing to talk to her, even if they didn't talk all that much, and she really didn't want it to end! Thankfully, Blake seemed to have the same idea.

"U-um…Safira? If it's not too much trouble, I mean, if you're not too busy after classes…w-would you like to come over to my house after class? I have a lot of other books to read…" Blake trailed off as she looked at the winged girl with a hopeful expression.

Safira couldn't help it, she all but jumped for joy as she hugged Blake, her wings twitching in excitement as they too wrapped around the two of them. "MMM!" She hummed in agreement as she nodded so fast her head started to hurt. "I'd love to!"

* * *

Zephyr Ha-Neul walked slowly through the streets of Menagerie, his casual gait belying the anxiety in his heart as he made his way to the center of the small city.

The last few weeks had been hard on his family, but as a huntsman and more importantly as a father he couldn't let his emotions show. His daughter had struggled with starting school, not wholly a surprise but none-the-less disheartening anyway. Her grades had been adequate, for no child of Ha-Neul family would be allowed to remain ignorant under his watch even if his daughter didn't have a seemingly surreal ability to learn, but rather the issues came from her classmates.

His daughter was being singled out because of her wings, and if Zephyr was a lesser man he would have laughed at the uniquely human action in a land filled with nothing but those who each had a unique trait they were born with.

Zephyr couldn't truly blame the children, despite how much he wanted to, as their treatment of his daughter was purely the fault of their parents. There were few legends that Faunus-kind still passed on from parent to child. Tales of the shattering of the moon, a story to warn against arrogance. Tales of the First Tribe, the origins of the Faunus. The legends of the last king of Vale, the god who had walked among the living and had freed Faunus from their slavery in all but name.

But one of the most commonly told fables of old were the legends of those Faunus who bore wings upon their backs, of the destiny's these Faunus held and the changes they brought into the world.

Of course, Zephyr hardly believed in such tales. Fate was simply a crutch for those without the will to endure suffering in exchange for strength leaned on when things did not go their way. As such, he and Terra had made a conscious effort to insulate their somewhat sickly daughter from such tales. She didn't need to know what other would expect from her. but regardless of their own choices it was clear that others in the city of Faunus had no such qualms about informing their children of Safira's supposive destiny, hence why she was likely being ostracizes, who wouldn't be intimidated by such stories.

The Huntsman had tried to bring the subject up with his daughter multiple times over the last few weeks, as he would only have a few more days in the city proper before he would be called back by the Menagerie Expeditionary forces in order to further the Faunus's reach inland, but his daughter had simply tried to dodge the question.

Hence why he had decided he would pick his daughter up from school in place of his wife and, in no uncertain terms, inform his daughter of why others were avoiding her. many would consider it brutal to not try and soften the blow for a five-year-old, but if there was one thing that Zephyr had learned about being a parent it was that children practically existed to shock their parents, at least that was what Safira seemed to do. He was certain his daughter could move past this momentary setback and no, his belief was not simply based off of his love for her.

But his plans were completely derailed when he arrived at the Elders home to find that his daughter was not in fact waiting for him and instead had accompanied another child home, a child whose identity caused the Huntsman to blink slowly in shock, that his daughter had befriended that family's daughter in particular.

And as such he now found himself walking in the direction of the largest home in all of Menagerie, the home of the chieftain.

Zephyr couldn't help but respect the young head of all Faunus. He, like Zephyr, had been trained in the use of his Aura but unlike most had never stepped foot in a Huntsman academy. He had lived most of his early life in the wilds of Anima, fighting against the Grimm and protecting their people. He had forged a path forward for the Faunus through shear strength of will and a tenacity that the Hawk Faunus could appreciate. And it was because of those abilities that he had been chosen by the elders to become the represented of all Faunus, a man that Zephyr was more than willing to follow.

However, despite his respect, Zephyr was not exactly comfortable with the lion Faunus hosting his daughter even if it was only because their children had found some sort of common ground. He was the leader of all Faunus on Menagerie and as such there was no chance he was not aware of the legends that seemed to haunt his daughter, not to mention that the Elders had no doubt talked his ears off about how the young winged Faunus was a "miracle" a term that nearly always brought a frown to the Hawk Faunus's face.

And none of that even took into account how his daughter had only ever spoken to people outside of her immediate family a handful of times and had likely done irreparable harm to the Ha-Neul name.

But he had no more time to consider his scattered thoughts, as he had arrived at the massive wooden doors and, with a sharp disciplined motion, used the door knocker to announce his presence.

Not a minute later Zephyr could hear the heavy latch on the door being moved out of position as one of the doors swung inward to reveal the chieftain's wife, a beautiful young cat Faunus by the name of Kali.

"Ah, Mr. Ha-Neul. A pleasure to see you again." The young woman greeted with an easy smile, a smile that would have had Zephyr relaxing were it not for his years of training.

"Ms. Belladonna." Zephyr returned with a slight bow, as was expected of him. "Forgive me for the intrusion but I was informed by Elder Snow that my daughter came here after class. I have come to retrieve her." He explained careful to keep his tone neutral and his face lax. While he had nothing but respect for the Belladonna family he couldn't be certain that they would not use his daughter for their own political gains, as the reputation of the Winged Faunus was such that knowledge of her existence next to the chieftain of Menagerie could have far reaching consequences.

Thankfully Kali either didn't pick up on his thoughts or had simply chosen to ignore them, as her smile only grew wider as she stepped back from the door. "Of course, it's a shame that she can't spend more time with my daughter, but I will go and get them from the library. Is there anything I can get for you while you wait?"

"No thank you ma'am. Though I appreciate the offer." Zephyr quickly denied, the black-haired woman laughing lightly into her hand.

"So polite, I can see why my husband has such a high opinion of you, not to mention why your daughter is so sweet." The cat Faunus continued, her praise for Safira warming the Huntsman's chest though he refused to allow it to show. "Please come in, I'll go and get little Safira for you." She continued as Zephyr stepped inside.

"I appreciate it, Ms. Belladonna." The hawk Faunus replied with another bow of his head, the wife of the most powerful man in Menagerie simply waving off his words before turning and moving deeper into the house.

Zephyr remained where he was, not quite at ease but as close as a trained Huntsman could be. but not a minute later a man stepped into the entryway, the very man who was causing the hawk Faunus his current distress.

Ghira Belladonna was an impressive man by nearly any standards. He was tall, standing nearly a full head over Zephyr and based off of how much muscle the Hawk Faunus could make out beneath his open purple robe he was just as strong. his black hair was longer than most men would risk in the heat of the desert, wild and unkept, and the black stubble around his chin gave him an almost feral aura.

But the look on the young man's face undid much of his fearsome appearance. His eyes were bright, both in intelligence and in coloring just like his wife and daughter. His lips seemed to just naturally form into a smile, a quality that was sorely lacking in the world as of late. He was a point of calmness in a world of chaos.

"Zephyr! Good to see you again. I'm assuming that your presence here means that Crimson is in Menagerie as well?" Ghira boomed out as he lifted a hand in greeting, the leader of all Faunus naming the woman who was leading the efforts to extend their reach farther into the desert.

"Yes, our food supply was getting dangerously low so the decision was made to return until the next ships arrive. Until then I have been patrolling our more densely populated borders…is that acceptable?"

While technically as a Huntsman Zephyr was a free agent, allowed to take any actions he deemed necessary in fighting the Grimm so long as he broke no major laws. He had decided when he immigrated to the land of the Faunus to obey the local leadership. In order to forge a better world for his family.

"More than acceptable! I can't tell you how proud I am to have Huntsman and Huntresses like you working for the benefit of Faunus-kind. And tell Crimson that you may all take as much time as you need before heading out again. I realize your efforts are paramount to the future of our people, but spending time with our families helps to remind us of why we fight."

Zephyr remained silent as the young leader of the Faunus finished with a slightly more serious expression. The slightly older huntsman once again having to reassess his opinion of the young leader.

"My thanks Chieftain, I'm sure my daughter will appreciate my time at home."

"Ah yes…speaking of daughters, I have to say I was quite surprised to see yours come home with mine today. Such an excitable little girl." And there it was, the topic that Zephyr was both woefully unprepared for and fully expecting.

"Ah, I apologize on her behave Chieftain. I will ensure she has learned the proper respect for your family before she returns to Elder Snow's class." Zephyr apologized with a bow of his head, fully expecting some sort of reprimand from the leader.

However, when he lifted his head Zephyr was surprised to see an almost pained and confused expression on the young chieftain's face. "Ah, no, no. That's not why I brought this up…if anything I'm grateful for your daughter's presence in this house."

Now it was Zephyrs turn to look confused, though he would say nothing until his leader elaborated, as was expected.

"Not to say that I dislike her excitement, far from it considering her health, but it is rare to hear such laughter in this house." Ghira elaborated, a far off look in his eyes. "My daughter has always been quiet, often preferring the company of books to friends, and has always had difficulty making friends. Likely my own fault considering my position. So, to see that she brought someone home is…well, heartwarming."

Zephyr remained silent as he studied his fellow father. Being born with eyes as sharp as his meant that the Faunus huntsman was very difficult to deceive, he could make out the faintest twitches of muscles in someone's face, the slightest shifting of another's gaze. So, he could tell that when Ghira was grateful…he truly was. The was no obvious tell that the easygoing smile on the man's face was at all forced, that the content look was hiding any hidden agendas.

 _Perhaps this is the true reason he was chosen to lead despite his age…I misjudged him._ The Hawk Faunus admitted to himself as the matriarch of the household walked back into the room with two young girls following her, drawing both men's attention.

"Daddy!" His little gem shouted in glee as she waddled forward as fast as she could to wrap her tiny arms around one of his legs. Zephyr could see just from the way she was moving that she was exhausted, the events of her day clearly more than her less than stellar stamina could handle, but at the same time he could see a happiness in her features that had been absent as of late. Her eyes alight with joy while her wings were twitching occasionally, a visible tick she had developed whenever she grew too excited.

"Safira, did you thank Mr. and Ms. Belladonna for hosting you today?" The hawk Faunus replied, a gentle hand on his daughter's head as he turned her back to the cat Faunus family before them.

"Um…no? Thank you Ms. Kail! Mr. Bel-Belladonna! I had a ton of fun!" The little blue haired girl replied after a second, looking up at the two older members of the house and bowing slightly, the Belladonna couple laughing good naturally at her sudden nervousness.

"Your quite welcome sweetie. In fact, we'd be more than happy to have you over again if you ever want to read with our daughter again. You'd like that too, right Blake?" Ms. Belladonna replied as she looked down at her near carbon copy, the youngest member of the family hiding behind her mother's hakama.

Even without the eyes of a hawk Zephyr would've been able to pick up on the youngest Belladonna's blush, the black-haired girl nodding shyly before looking at Safira. "Y-yea…it was fun."

"I'd love to! Can I daddy?" His daughter replied, at first with barely constrained excitement, before seemingly thinking about something and turning a curious gaze upwards to meet Zephyr's gaze.

The head of the Ha- Neul did not reply at first, his gaze traveling from his daughter's hopeful expression to the faces of Kali and Ghira, both of whom were watching the father and daughter with smiles on their faces. In the back of his mind he couldn't help but remember that his daughter's life could become infinitely more complicated if she involved herself in their family's politics, that she was weak and needed to be protected. But most of his thoughts were consumed by thinking about how happy, how full of life, his daughter was here. That she finally had someone her age to talk to.

"We will have to ask your mother, but I see no reason you cannot." He eventually replied, flinching slightly at his daughter's happy squeal before her small arms wrapped around his leg once again. Perhaps he was simply overreacting, after all, his daughter deserved to have at least one friend in her life, no matter what came from it.


	4. Chapter 4

After months of having Blake as a friend, Safira honestly wasn't sure if it was better to have real friends or an imaginary one. Sure, Sarah was super awesome and kinda like an older sister, but Blake was real! She could talk to the cat Faunus without people looking at her weird. They could eat lunch together! And best of all, since she was the daughter of the big guy who ran the city everyone was really friendly with her and Safira whenever they went outside to play.

Well ok, they really didn't go outside all that often, 'cause Blake liked reading a whole lot and her family did own a lot of books. But Safira had already spent a lot of time reading before she met the cat Faunus so she would often push Blake into going outside more often, to the markets, to the one park in all of the city, and to the place they were visiting today, the beach.

"Are you ok Safira? You look kinda pale." Blake asked as she gazed down worriedly at the panting Safira, said blue haired girl laying in the sand on her back, her eyes closed as she tried to get as much air into her lungs as she could.

"K-kinda…its really hard to swim with these stupid wings." The girl eventually managed to get out as she gestured lazily over her back, the wings twitching slightly as she moved the muscles in her back. "Your really lucky to have such cool ears Blake, they let you hear better and they don't get in your way like mine do all the time…I can't even use mine, they hurt my back too much. And mommy says that they're why I get tired so often…they suck." Safira continued, the beginnings of a pout forming on her face.

"O-oh…but I your wings are really pretty though." Blake commented quietly as she sat down in the sand too.

 _"I wouldn't worry about it too much Safira, you've got a long life to live and I'm certain that one day you'll be able to use your wings."_ Safira flinched slightly at the voice of her invisible friend, having forgotten she was there. Sarah didn't talk as much when Safira was around Blake. She just kinda…waited off to the side. She still helped with homework and reading the really hard stuff when Blake wanted to though they weren't allowed to read Samurai's of Love anymore, 'cause Blake's mom caught them and told them it wasn't a book for kids with a really, really, red face, but otherwise she didn't do much.

 _Maybe…maybe that means that I don't need an imaginary friend anymore?_ Safira considered for a moment before a towel landed on her face, the young Faunus squeaking in surprise, removing said towel, and finding herself staring up into the amused eyes of Blake's mom, Kali.

"Don't worry Sweetie, a lot of Faunus take awhile to grow into their traits. And even if you don't, your wings are still very beautiful." She commented as she helped dry off her daughter, ignoring the whine that escaped from the black-haired girl's lips. "Now why don't you get dried off so I can get you back to your mother. It is getting late after all and we wouldn't want either of you two to get caught by a nighttime Grimm."

"Ok!" Safira cheered as she started to dry off, Blake's mom helping her dry off her wings when she had finished with her own daughter.

Eventually they managed to get Safira dry enough to the point where her wings weren't so waterlogged that she couldn't stand and with the days activities finished they began to head back into the city, only having to stop a few times when someone wanted to talk to Miss. Belladonna about adult stuff.

But Safira didn't care about that and Sarah wasn't making it any easier for her to understand what they were talking about, so instead of paying attention to the adults she turned to her friend with a really big grin on her face. "Are you excited Blake?"

"Eh? Um…What about?"

"The field trip of course!" Safira whisper-shouted back to her friends confused expression. "We get to go out of the city for the first time ever! I can't wait! Can you?"

Yep, Safira and the rest of her class were going to be taken out into the desert east of Menagerie in a few days to learn how to survive in the heat or something like that, Safira hadn't been paying that much attention after Elder Snow told them about the field trip because of how excited she was. For the first time ever, Safira was going beyond the houses that made up her whole world up until then. She was going to get to see a new place! And not only that, her own daddy was going to keep them safe while they were out there. 'cause he was a Huntsmany person so he was really strong so they'd be safe too!

And after seeing her daddy with his giant axe Safira was absolutely sure of that fact. Her daddy's weapon, a giant orange and black axe he named Retribution, was so big it was nearly as big as daddy himself! The young winged Faunus had tried to lift it one day during their exercises but she couldn't even get its handle off the ground. The fact that her dad could so easily just showed how strong he was, heck, even Sarah had been impressed at how cool Safira's dad was.

And he was going to be there with them while they learned about the desert so Safira wasn't worried at all!

"Oh that…I don't know." Blake answered, drawing Safira out of her hero worshipping thoughts. "My dad says it can really dangerous out in the wilds around us and stuff…I'm kind of worried about going out there."

"Eh? Really? Ok…" The blue haired girl trailed off, not really understanding why her best friend wouldn't be excited like her. maybe her mom could explain it? "Miss. Belladonna?" she looked up at the older woman, the older cat Faunus having finished her conversation awhile ago. "Should I be worried about the field trip too?"

Blake's mom's face looked really weird after Safira asked, kind of like a mix of upset and…something. But the look quickly went away as she smiled and patted the two girl's heads. "Well…yes and no. its understandable that you would be looking forward to it Safira, as it is something none of you children have had a chance to do, but Blake isn't wrong to be worried either, as there are always dangers outside of the city."

"so…we're both right then?" Safira eventually asked as she tried to work through what the older woman was saying.

"Indeed. Not everything in life is right or wrong, sometimes there just isn't an easy answer." Miss. Belladonna answered with a smile, both girls nodding with contemplative looks on their faces.

"…Oh, OK then...Hey Blake, Did you ever finish that story? The one about the really cool Huntress?" Safira eventually asked, tired about thinking about the older Faunus's words and deciding to talk about something else. A topic that Blake was more than willing to talk about based off the smile on her face.

The two girls continued to chat animatedly about the stories they were reading as Blake's mom lead them back to Safira's house, the winged girl's mom answering the door pretty quickly when Kali knocked.

"Hi mom! We're back!" Safira greeted as she ran up and hugged her moms' legs, the armadillo Faunus chuckling lightly at her excitable daughter.

"Welcome back sweetie…was everything OK at the beach ma'am?" Terra answered before looking up at Blake's mom and bowed slightly.

"No, no, none at all. And there's no need to stand on formality when its just us and our daughters remember?"

"Ah yes, sorry about that…then will you be brining Blake over next weekend Kali?"

"Of course, assuming that she wants to come over. I don't know is she does though." Blake's mom answered with a sigh, Blake whipping her head up to stare worriedly at her mom.

"I do!...I mean, I would love to come over again some time -Neul. Can i Safira? ?" The cat Faunus shouted out before looking first at Terra, receiving a nod, before looking to Safira, the young winged Faunus grinning brightly and nodding over and over.

"Yep! I'd love to read together again! Its so much fun hanging around with you after all!" Safira answered, her best friends face turning red as she smiled back.

Their moms talked for a little while longer, talking about whatever adults talked about, but eventually the two-black haired Faunus had to go. Blake waving back at Safira the whole time until they vanished into the crowd. Safira joined her mom inside, the two of them working on dinner until Safira's daddy showed up, as tonight was a rare night when they could all eat together since he had to be in town for the field trip.

"So Safira, how was your day with the Bellodanna's? Did you enjoy yourself?" Terra asked after they had settled down for the meal.

"Yep! It was really fun! We went to the market to get some fired fish for lunch! And then we went to the beach to swim! And there were a bunch of people with fins there and they could swim really fast and it was really fun! My wings were kinda heavy with all the water and stuff, but Blake's mom helped me with cleaning them off and then-!" Safira explained in rapid fire, going over pretty much every single detail of the day before she heard someone clear their throat behind her.

 _"Safira, there's no need to tell them every single little thing. I'm sure they're happy just hearing the highlights."_ Sarah gently commented.

"-and that was pretty much it." Safira finished, her head bowed and her cheeks red as Terra laughed at her embarrassment.

"…you did not cause any trouble for Miss. Belladonna correct?" Her father questioned, her daddy's eyes somehow even scarier than normal.

"N-no…at least, I don't think I did…did I mom?" Safira questioned her red-haired parent.

"No, you were fine sweetie, Miss. Belladonna said you were perfectly well behaved."

"I see…that's fine then. Just remember to remain well behaved in front of the Chieftain's family." Her father eventually commented as he returned to his dinner.

"Y-yes daddy." The winged Faunus replied as she poked at her fish. But before she could take a bite her mind wandered back to what Blake's mom had been talking about earlier. "Hey…Daddy?"

"Yes?"

"Um…Blake's mom said something weird today that I didn't get…when I said I was excited for the field trip Blake said she was worried about it, but her mom said that neither of us were wrong about how we felt…is that true?" Safira asked, both her parents pausing in their dinner to stare at her.

Zephyr didn't reply at first, instead closing his eyes and resting his hands on the table with a serious look on his face. But eventually his eyes shot open as he fixed his gaze on the young Faunus. "…Safira, do you remember our talks about the Grimm?"

"Y-yea…that they're really scary and attack bad people?" Safira answered after a second, her head tilted in confusion hoping that she got the question right.

"Zephyr, are you sure this is the right time for this?" Her mom added worriedly, Safira looking between the two parents with concern.

"Considering the trip her class will be taking it seems like something we cannot avoid any longer." Her dad answered, her parents staring at each other for a moment before Terra sighed and closed her eyes while Zephyr turned back to his daughter. "While that is true in a basic definition, it is not the full truth. The Grimm are beyond dangerous, beyond terrifying…beyond understanding. They are true monsters."

"W-what do you mean daddy?"

"The Grimm are creatures of darkness that exist to consume humans and Faunus alike. They do not tire, they do not hesitate, they simply destroy when they find someone." Her father explained in a cold voice, his eyes really serious as Safira gulped nervously. "Every aspect of the creatures of Grimm exist to harm life…and if that weren't enough, the Grimm are able to track intelligent life though a means we cannot understand…though our negative emotions."

"Eh, what does that mean?"

"It means, sweetie, that if you feel bad, or upset, then the creatures of Grimm can feel it and find you though it." Terra explained with a worried expression, resting her hand on Safira's own as the child tried to work out what exactly what her parents were talking about.

"Its as your mother says. Grimm are attracted to negative emotions, and it is for that reason that they are so dangerous. For most people, the act of leaving the safety of a city is an anxiety causing experience the moment they leave the safety of civilization. They feel nervous, hopeless, and it is these emotions that attract the very creatures the fear so. A vicious cycle that all intelligent life must fight against."

Safira gulped nervously as she gazed down at her half-eaten dinner, no longer hungry. "oh…"

But her dad wasn't done talking "…And it is because the Grimm exist that I fight. It is why Huntsman and Huntresses exist."

Safira's head whipped up in shock as she looked at her dad's confident stare, a smile breaking out on her face. "Oh right! I forgot that you're a hero daddy!"

"No Safira, I would not refer to any of those who follow my profession as heroes…but your sentiment is correct." Zephyr corrected with a faint upwards curl of his lips, the closest he ever got to smiling. "But I'm surprised Safira, I wouldn't think that a child your age would look forward to going outside Menagerie."

"But it sounds like its gonna be so much fun! I'll get to see places I've never seen before, and there's a bunch of sand, there right? It'll be like a day at the beach! Like today!" Safira answered excitedly, deciding to put the whole Grimm thing in the back of her mind for another day.

"Well, you will be mostly out there in order to learn about how to survive in a desert environment and about what creatures share this continent with, but I suppose I can understand the sentiment…it was one that drove my decision to become a Huntsman after all. During my training in fact I toured nearly every continent on Remnant."

"Really daddy? That sounds awesome! What kinda stuff did you see?"

"Various places and various things…but are you being truthful in your explanation Safira? Your that excited?"

"Uh-huh! Ill get to see stuff I never did before, why wouldn't I be excited about it?" Safira responded with a confused look on her head.

"Most children are not…" Her father responded, his eyes never leaving Safira's tiny form. "Safira…have you thought about what you wish to do with your life?"

"Eh? U-umm…I donno…why Daddy?"

"Have you considered becoming a Huntress then?" Her daddy asked in the same weird voice, her mommy starting to choke on her food right after for reasons that Safira didn't get.

"Z-zephyr?! How could you ask her that…" Safira's mommy shouted in shock, making the younger Faunus whip her head around to stare with wide eyes at the weird, worried, look on the older woman's face.

But her daddy didn't answer her so Safira looked back at him to see him staring weirdly at her mommy. The silence continued for what felt like forever, the winged Faunus looking back and forth between her parents as they stared at each other. But eventually Safira's mom sighed heavily before looking at Safira and smiling.

"Well Safira? Would have you ever thought about being a hero like your daddy?" Her mom asked, her voice kinda strange but Safira couldn't figure out why.

So, she didn't worry about that, instead focusing on the question they had asked her. did she want to be like her dad? Sure, it sounded fun and all, getting to travel around all over the place, the meeting new people, but everyone seemed so afraid of the Grimm so…

"Nope!" Safira answered easily. "Daddy's job sounds really scary and like a lot of work and I don't like to be tired!"

"…I see, that's good then." Her father answered after a moment. "Now finish your food, you need to eat more of your vegetables in order to grow properly."

"Ehh? But daddy! Veggies are yucky!"

The rest of dinner went really fast, Safira even managing to eat her greens, and it wasn't long before the young Faunus turned in for the night. But for some reason she couldn't fall asleep as easily as she normally did. There was a question in the back of her mind that wasn't letting her sleep, a question that she really didn't get.

So, she sat up and stared up at the celling where the white wire that came out of her chest was passing though the wood, showing her first friend was.

"…Hey Sarah? Can I ask you something?" The girl eventually asked as she tugged on the wire, knowing that the older girl would feel it. And sure enough, it wasn't a second later that the white dressed girl floated back down though the celling.

 _"Yes Safira? What's wrong?"_ The floating girl asked as she stopped just to the side of Safira's bed, her hands behind her back and a smile on her face.

"...Um…uh…can I ask you something?" the winged Faunus asked nervously, Sarah blinking slowly before nodding. "Ummm…why are you still around?"

"…Huh? I'm sorry?" Sarah muttered in confusion, her eyes wide as she stared down at the now nervously squirming Safira.

"W-well it's just…you're my imaginary friend, right? And I made you because I didn't have any friends…so now that I have one I was just wondering why you haven't gone bye-bye?"

 _"well…it's a little more complicated than that…"_ the older girl replied with a really weird sounding laugh. _"So...you don't want me around anymore?"_

"I guess? I mean, Blake's a really, really good friend so…can you just leave?" The little girl asked without looking at the really sad look on her first friends face. It wasn't her fault that she didn't need an imaginary friend anymore! Everyone kept looking at her weird when she talked to the floating girl in public, plus she was a big girl now, she didn't need not real friends around anymore!

 _"I see…"_ Her first friend replied after a minute sound almost like she was about to cry but…not at the same time, like she was really upset and really tired at the same time. _"Honestly Safira, I don't know if I can ever leave…but if you don't want me around I'll stay as out of your way as much as I can until you forget about me…Well then, goodnight, and goodbye I guess."_ The girl said, sounding even sadder than before, so sad that Safira was confused as to why someone she made up would be so upset for her.

"O-oh…ok…goodnight." Safira replied awkwardly as the girl floated back up through the ceiling and Safira turned onto her side, away from where her imaginary friend went. She did the right thing, she was sure of it. Her parents were always telling her that she shouldn't keep pretending to have Sarah around, that big girls didn't have one…

…So, if it was such a big girl thing to do, then why did she feel so bad about saying she didn't want Sarah around anymore?

* * *

"Umm...Safira? Do you want to talk about something? You look like your really upset..." Blake asked, looking really worried, as they walked behind Elder Snow and a bunch of the guards that had accompanied them. It was finally the day of the field trip, finally the day where Safira got to go outside of Menagerie! She could see so much more sand than she had ever seen in her life!

But despite the new experience, she just couldn't shake the frown on her face or the feeling of being really sad.

"No…I'm ok…" Safira muttered with a forced smile, a smile that she couldn't even be convinced was real, let alone anyone else.

So, it was only natural that Blake didn't look at all convinced by her words, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You know you can talk to me if somethings wrong right? I don't know if I can help but…I'd like to." The cat ear Faunus offered, before looking down at the sand with a red tint to her cheeks.

"Ok! If I figure out why I'm so sad then I'll let you know." Safira agreed as she looked over her shoulder at the tiny string of light that disappeared off into the distance. Ever since she had talked to Sarah about the imaginary friend leaving the wire between them had thinned to the point where Safira couldn't even really see it unless she really wanted to.

Just like the black-haired girl had said, Safira hadn't heard or seen Sarah in days. For the first day she could've sworn she saw her here and there, hiding on top of a building as she walked to school with her mom, moving though an alley on her way home, but not once had the older girl talked to her.

It was kinda lonely, if Safira was being honest with herself, but that didn't make since because she had her mom, dad, Blake, and Blake's parents around to keep her company. Safira was hurting and she didn't know how to fix it other than making Sarah go away.

But she didn't have much longer to think about her first friend, as Elder Snow turned back to the group of students with a look that Mommy called "Stern". "Students! We will be stopping here for our lesson on desert survival. We will be splitting into groups to learn from the warriors who have accompanied us today." The Elder continued as he gestured around at all the adults carrying spears, her Dad among them. "Do not stray from your group, do not investigate anything by yourself, if you are feeling weak from the heat, inform the nearest adult and Mr. Ha-Neul will provide you with water…understood?"

"Yes!" Safira called out along with every other kid around, the Elder looking at each of them in turn before nodding.

"Very well, then report to your instructor when I call your name…Mr. Ebon will be looking after…" The elder started to list off as Safira lost interest in what he was saying, instead looking around at all the new sights.

The desert was really cool. Well, not cool cool, but really hot and the fun kind of cool. It was a bunch of sand with really big rocks coming out of the waves of bright white. Off in the distance Safira could just barely make out a few of the buildings. This was without a doubt the farthest she had ever been from her house and she was loving every minute of it.

Or she would be, if it weren't for two things. The weird sadness that she was feeling, and Bullhead, the jerk of course getting put in her group and her dad wasn't in charge of hers. Joy.

"Heh, what's wrong seagull, you look even stupider than normal." The boy sneered, Safira deciding not to reply with words and instead sticking her tongue out and making a "mehhhh" sound. Sure, it was childish, but from the really angry look on the jerks face it was worth it.

"Enough you two. We have a lot to cover and not much time so pay attention." The man in black robs and metal on his arms and shoulders told them, a frown on his face as Safira apologized and Bullhead clicked his tongue.

The lesson was really interesting, a lot more interesting than anything Safira learned in class. How to conserve water, that you needed to wear loose long clothes so you didn't burn, how to find your way using the sun, all really cool stuff that, while maybe not all that useful to Safira 'cause she got really tired just walking out into the desert today and couldn't imagine doing it again.

And plus, some of the stuff the guard was talking about was stuff she had learned from Sarah! Which meant it was stuff she herself already knew…right?

And of course, the moment she thought of her still missing imaginary friend, Safira's shoulders dropped. She felt awful about telling her first best friend that she didn't want her around anymore but…why? How was someone supposed to get rid of a fake friend if it felt this bad to tell them to go away?

And it was because she was sad, and therefore looking down, that Safira noticed something strange happening to the sand under her feet. All the sand around them was slowly moving, which was weird because there wasn't any wind to be blowing the sand around, Safira watched curiously as the grains of sand slowly rolled just a little bit off to the side of their group, where the sand was slowly getting lower like it was going down a drain.

It was weird, something that Sarah had never mentioned happening. So rather than try and figure it out herself she looked back up at their guard. "Um…sir? What's that?" She asked as she pointed at the place where the sand was falling.

The guard stopped mid-sentence to look where Safira was pointing, and all the color drained from his face in a second. Faster than Safira had ever seen someone move, the man rushed forward, grabbed Safira and one of her classmates standing next to her, and tossed them though the air back towards the rest of the class.

"Antlions!" The man shouted, her dad and all the other adults all turning around to stare at the guard with surprised and tense looks. Safira opened her mouth, intending to ask what had all the adults really scared, but before she could the sand in still forming pit exploded upwards with a really loud screeching noise that made Safira freeze, a noise that was answered by a bunch of other noises all around them.

As the sand fell away Safira watched in horror as something…wrong emerged from the sand, the creature looked like a really big ant with giant pinchers on its face. Its back was covered in with armor looking stuff, armor that looked almost like bone, and its red eyes glared up at her with a clear desire, a desire to kill.

Safira was frozen, unable to scream or run. She somehow understood instinctively what she was seeing, the things that everyone had been warning her about. This was a Grimm. An animal that existed to hunt down humans and Faunus for no other reason than to kill.

The young Faunus started to cry in fear, her instincts screaming at her to run away as fast as she could. But no matter how much she wanted to she couldn't move her now shaking legs, every part of her felt weak, to the point that if she hadn't used the bathroom before leaving for the field trip she would've already peed her pants.

The guard who threw her out of the now sinking sand was trying to climb out of the whole the Grimm had made, his face looking just as horrified as Safira felt. But no matter how hard he struggled he couldn't climb out. The Grimm, an antlion apparently, screeched again as it thrashed at the bottom of the pit, kicking more sand up into the air as the pit continued to grow to the point where Safira couldn't see the guard anymore.

"No, NO! Get away from me! Someone help! No, no-AUGH!..." the guard screamed before cutting off abruptly, Safira's whole body shivering the moment his screams ended. This is what it meant to live on Renmnant, that things wanted to kill you the moment you left home.

 _Oh god…I-I don't wanna die…I DON'T WANNA DIE!_ Safira screamed in her head as a terrified screech ripped from her lips.

But death never came for her, as a lot of other guards ran past and started shooting down into the sand pit, the Grimm's screeching turning into something more pained.

"Students! Get off the sand! Antlions move though the sand to trap you so find a rock and climb on top!" Elder Snow shouted, Safira turning around to see the older Faunus already on top of a rock outcropping.

"Guardsmen! Defensive positions, keep the children safe! Keep your eyes on the sand, there's bound to be more! Active Aura uses to the front!" Her father shouted as he rushed past and jumped into the pit, his giant axe held over his head and an even more serious look on his face than normal. Safira almost cried out for him, afraid that her dad was about to die, but before she could say anything another pillar of sand shot out as a rumble passed though the ground, the screeching stopping just as fast as the first guard's cries.

And though all of this fighting Safira had yet to move, still to horrified to get her legs working properly. Thankfully one of the guards, a fox Faunus woman who couldn't be much older than Safira's mom, picked her up and sprinted for the nearest rock.

"Stay here! Don't move! Understand?" The woman half shouted, a shout that was so loud that it made the young winged girl nod out of reflex, before rushing back over to the other guards who had come with them to shoot at another Antlion in a new pit that had opened up, dragging a few more people down into the sand.

And throughout it all Safira stood there dumbstruck. She could hear the other kids crying, some louder than others. But after her first screech Safira couldn't figure out how to get her mouth to work right. Everything had gone so wrong, this was all supposed to be a fun trip to learn about the desert, but now…now this was her worst nightmare.

She almost didn't notice when Blake ran up to her and grabbed her hand and squeezed really tightly, so tightly that Safira grimaced in pain. "Safira! What are we going to do? Th-this is scary…Daddy…help us." Her friend shouted at first before fading into a whisper, the occasional sob escaping from her lips.

Safira wanted to reassure her friend, to tell her everything was going to be all right, but she still couldn't make a sound. Her body was just too numb, so instead she just looked out over the fighting. And once again, because she was the only one really looking, she noticed something that no one else was.

Not all the students had made it to the safety of the rocks, some hiding between the legs of the guards or slung over their shoulder like bags of grain. But one student who had yet to find a rock to stand on was all by himself trying to run over to their rock. But what he didn't notice was the sand around his legs beginning to roll downward right between him and Safira's rock.

And sure enough, another pillar of sand rose into the air as the Antlion emerged from its den, the sand around it beginning to get sucked inward pulling the boy in, a boy Safira knew only as Bullhead.

 _He won't make it._ Safira realized numbly as she watched Bullhead realize what was happening and beginning to struggle back the way he came, not making any progress on the steep slopes. _He's going to die, just like the man who saved me._ Safira could see that nobody had realized the new Antlion had appeared, all the adults were too focused on the ones out away from their group, and even if they did Bullhead was so far down in the pit that the only way to get him without getting caught yourself would be if…if you had…

 _Wings!_

The realization struck with enough force to get Safira moving again, the young Faunus looking over her shoulder at her two extra appendages, said wings twitching slightly as she focused on them. She hadn't tried flying in a while, not since she got yelled at by Blakes mom for jumping off their roof in an attempt to get as much time in the air as possible, but there was enough rock between her and Bullhead that she could get a good running start and she was up high enough to try…but…but to try meant going near the Grimm.

She didn't want to, she really, really, didn't want to. But Safira knew that if she did nothing the jerk would die. Sure, she really didn't like him, but to watch him die like the guard earlier…

She wasn't a hero, she wasn't like the people in the stories that her mom, Blake, and Sarah, all read to her. she wasn't special, or chosen, or anything. She was just a terrified little girl who was the only one who could act.

So, she would.

Without another thought Safira started to flat out sprint down the rock, trying hard to not trip over the really bumpy surface and ignoring the horrified scream of her name coming from behind her. she was only going to get on chance at this, and if she messed up she'd get stuck in the pit too. _Don't forget to flap,_ _don't forget to flap,_ _don't forget to flap…_ Safira repeated over and over as she neared the end of the rock and, with one final push, launched herself into the open air.

Almost instantly there was a burning in her shoulders as her wings caught the air and spread out to their full wingspan, nearly twice as long as she was tall. With more effort than anything she had done in her life Safira flexed the muscles on her back, her wings sluggishly responding with an uncoordinated flap, but it was enough to keep her from crashing face first into the sand. For a brief moment Safira couldn't help but marvel at the fact that she was flying, she was flying!

But the moment passed when she noticed how low in the pit Bullhead had gotten. The Antlion in the bottom clicking its pincher so fast that it almost sounded like it was clapping, or maybe laughing, at the fact it had gotten someone trapped. But Bullhead wasn't paying attention to the Grimm anymore, instead looking up at Safira with a dumb look on his face. But the dummy wasn't doing anything, not even struggling anymore, and if Safira was going to save him he needed to put in his share of the work.

So, when Safira held out her hand, stretching it so far that she felt the bones pop, she also sucked in as much air as she could. "Jump dummy! And grab my hand!" she yelled as loud as she could.

Thankfully that did the trick, as Bullhead twitched like someone had poked him before crouching low and leaping a foot or so off the ground, his own hands outstretched and reaching for her. and with a loud clapping noise, their hands latched onto each other.

With a scream of pain Safira beat her wings once again, the added weight of the jerk more than she could bear, but she didn't need to get high into the air to get away, all she had to do was reach the edge of the pit and crawl the rest of the way out. _I-I did it!_ The young girl cheered internally as they began to reach the edge of the pit.

Unfortunately, Safira underestimated just how hungry the Grimm was, as before they could get too far away from the center of the pit the Antlion screeched in rage and pulled its full body out of the sand as it leapt into the air. Its mandible snapping open and closed as it flew at them. Time seemed to slow for Safira as she looked down in horror at the slowly approaching red eyed monster. This time there was no guard to help her, no other Faunus with wings to save them. This time, she was going to die.

 _Mommy…daddy…Sarah…_ Safira cried out in her mind as she shut her eyes, not wanting to see her death coming.

 _"…Safira!"_ A voice screamed back, a voice that Safira had already started to miss.

The winged girl's eyes snapped open just in time to see Sarah, no longer wearing her white dress but instead dressed in jeans and a bloody shirt, hovering before her, the white cord flaring back to its normal size as she appeared. the black-haired girls body was clad in something black that seemed to arc along her limbs, an energy that she could feel in the air. And her eyes, her eyes were even more serious than her daddy's and had a look that Safira couldn't really describe, like angry times a million.

 _"You will not hurt her Grimm!"_ Sarah screamed as the energy around her body gathered into her hand and, moving just as fast as her daddy did, Sarah lashed out at the Grimm, her fist actually striking the creature and sending it back into its pit.

Safira was so transfixed by what had just happened that she had entirely forgotten about flying, the two Faunus landing and rolling across the sand at the same moment that the Grimm was sent downwards. Safira didn't move at first, so happy to see her friend that she wanted noting more than to run to the still hovering girl and ask for a hug, but the dazed feeling passed when Sarah turned to her and glared at her angrily.

 _"Move Safira! Get to higher ground! That things not dead yet!"_ The older girl warned and sure enough Safira could hear the confused screeching from down in the pit as the Grimm tired to get to them.

But thankfully neither of the stunned Faunus needed to do anything, as before they could even stand Safira's dad jumped down into the pit and, with more speed than seemed possible for such a large weapon, spun his axe around until the Antlion was nothing more than a bunch of little pieces.

Safira blinked slowly as the sand settled. she hadn't even seen her dad get close and now that she was paying attention she couldn't hear any sounds of fighting anymore…it was over, she was alive, Sarah was back, and she had even managed to save Bullhead.

A laugh slowly escaped from her lips, a single giggle at first that soon turned into full blown laughter. They were alive! Everything was going to be all right.

Or that's what she thought up until her dad slowly walked out of the sand pit and stared down at her with a look that was so full of anger that Safira wasn't sure what was scarier, him or the Grimm.

"Safira…we will be talking about this with your mother tonight."

"Y-yes daddy…"

* * *

Adam hated a lot of things in life, waking up early, humans, everything about humans, human kids, but if there was one thing he really hated more it was when someone thought they were better than he was for no reason.

The kids back in Mistral had been like that, always telling him how much better they were than him just 'cause they were human and he was a Faunus. His mom always told him that it was just because they were kids, that they wouldn't be that way forever, but when a group of adults came though their town and burnt his mom and dad to death Adam realized that no, not everyone grew out of being a jerk. That people would always try and pretend they were better than he was, and that he would prove them all wrong.

When he got to Menagerie he thought things would be different, that 'cause they were all Faunus the other kids wouldn't be like those back where he had come from. But the kids in the orphanage were just as much jerks as the humans! Always going on and on about how they got first dibs on food and donated stuff just because they were there first. Of course, that didn't last too long, just until he got into his fifth fight with one of the jerks, but at least they showed him that so long as he was strong he could prove how much better he was than them. And things got even worse after he started to go school at the Elders house, at first it only kinda sucked, as it was really boring to listen to the old man talk all day, but all that changed when Safira Ha-Neul came to school.

"Students, I have something to tell you about the new student that will be joining us tomorrow." Elder Snow had said from the front of the room the day before she showed up. "This student will be destined for great things, someone who will accomplish miracles, and I wont stand for any of you disrespecting her. She is above you, someone who you will respect, am I understood?"

But no, Adam didn't understand, why the hell would he respect some girl just 'cause an adult told him to? What made her so much better?

 _Hmph, let's see who this stupid kid is then._ Adam had decided before the day was out, his permanent frown deepening at the thought of this mystery girl.

And then she showed up in class, acting like she was better than them right off the bat! She just assumed she could eat with him and the other kids from the orphanage just 'cause her mom made her lunch? What a joke! So, it was only natural that Adam told the girl to get lost, the girl looking crushed at first before tossing her lunch in his face and running away.

"…you sure that was a good idea Adam? The Elders going to be mad at you for making fun of her." One of the other kids had asked worriedly after he had sat back down and started to pick off the fish bits all over his shirt.

"I don't care, she's not any better than any of us so I'm not treating her like a princess or something stupid like that."

"But still…" The boy continued before flinching under Adam's glare.

"She's not better than me, I'll prove that I'm the best, you'll see." Adam had decided.

Of course, the kid was right, as the moment classes had ended for the day Elder Snow pulled him aside and smacked him around for his behavior, but that only added to Adam's stubbornness. Like hell she was better!

The two kids continued to go at each other's throats whenever they were near each other, the girl having a surprising amount of snark for some sheltered little girl, but Adam never stopped making fun of her. heck, he only got surer of his decision when the seagull girl made friends with that cat Princess, the two of them always hiding out in the corner of the yard acting like they were better than everyone else. Of course, the winged brat went to her first for a friend, they both thought they were better than he was!

But then today had happened. At first it wasn't any different than any day before. The seagull girl looked weird, like she was thinking too hard about something and was sad at the same time, and of course Adam made fun of her for it, but that all changed when the sand opened up.

Adam had only seen the Grimm from a distance before that, the occasional Beowolf around the village he had grown up in or a drawing in a book. But today they were really trying to kill him. His dad had always said that if the Grimm showed up he needed to be a man and fight them, to protect others like a man should, but when the black insects emerged from the ground he froze.

They were utterly, bone chillingly, terrifying. And for the life of him Adam couldn't understand how any sane person willingly threw themselves in front of such beasts.

And it was that pause that nearly killed him. He had been frozen for so long that one of the Antlions had cut him off from safety and started to drag him down into the sand. He was doomed, he would never get revenge on the bastards who had taken his family and burned down his home. He would never prove his strength over the human scum.

 _Damn it…DAMN IT!_ He cursed as he struggled against the sand, his flailing only making him sink faster.

But then the impossible happened, Seagu- no, Safira had leapt into the air and flew to help him. Heck, she even yelled at him to do something! She wasn't just some scared little girl…

It was a world-shattering realization for the bull Faunus. The girl had saved his life, and she was just as scared as he was if not more so based off of how much she had been trembling and the relived laughter that came from her lips when everything was said and done with. But she still jumped to help him…something he wasn't quite sure he would've been willing to do in her position. Heck, it would've been better if she had gloated about saving him or something, or maybe insulted him for needing to be saved by a girl, but nooo. Instead she just sat with the others and the Princess by her side as her dad quietly talked down at her, her shoulders lowering by the second as her father continued to punish her.

It didn't sit well with him, having a debt this big to someone he had been a jerk to for so long…it meant that not only was he wrong about her but she also proved that maybe she was as good as him. Not better! But just as good. And if he left it alone it would eat at him until it drove him crazy.

So, he'd fix it right here and now. He waited until Mr. Ha-Neul walked away to talk to the Elder in the same tone he had been using on his daughter before approaching. The Princess noticed him first, glaring up at him and almost looking like she was going to hiss at him, but instead whispered something to the winged girl who looked up. She looked tired, beyond tired, like she would fall asleep at any second, but she still looked up at him when approached and frowned.

"…what do you want?" She asked, her voice rough and quiet, like she was about to pass out.

"…You saved me, why?" Adam eventually asked, not wanting to beat around the bush.

"…did you not want to be helped?" She returned in confusion, doing that stupid thing girls did and tilting her head to the side when she finished.

"Not that dummy…why did "you" help…your you and well…I'm me." Adam shot back with more heat than he intended. Not that he could help it, the whole situation was just too frustration and confusing.

"…I donno…I just saw that no one else could so I had to…" The winged girl admitted as she gulped down some of the water her dad had given her.

"It was reckless Safira! What you'd have done if you weren't strong enough? D-don't do something so stupid again." Belladonna all but spat out before she started crying slightly, the stupid winged girl looking all panicky at her friends tears.

"I-I'm sorry, I won't do it again! Pl-please don't cry!"

"…Oi." Adam muttered, drawing the attention of the two girls. "I'm not done. You saved me, and my Dad told me to always pay back a debt…so thanks…and I'm sorry about being a jerk all the time alright. So there…bye." And with that he turned and started to walk to the other side of the group where the other orphans were.

But he didn't make it far before the winged girl called out to him. "hey…Bullhead?"

"My names not Bullhead! Its Adam! Adam Taurus!" he shouted back as he whipped back around with his strongest glare, a glare that only caused the girl to giggle tiredly.

"Oh, ok. So, Adam…if you wanna make up for me saving you then you can make me a lunch to make for the one I threw at you…if you want to I guess."

He couldn't help it; Adam's mouth fell open at that as he gaped at the girl. That was it? A lunch? His life was apparently worth a bunch of food to the girl? "…Fine, I'll get you lunch. And you'd better enjoy it!" He shouted before once again turning around and finally walking away.

If the girl wanted a good lunch, he'd give it to her. it be the best damn lunch she'd ever have! And hopefully after he did this the weird whispers and cold feelings he started to hear and get after he started making fun of her would finally stop.

* * *

Safira sat on her bed with a pout on her face, her knees held against her chest and her chin tucked against said legs.

To say her Mom had been upset when her Dad told her about what Safira had done was really underselling it. She was angry, angrier than the young winged Faunus had ever seen her. Not only had her Daddy lectured her for a long time about not throwing herself into danger and everything but she had even gotten spanked by her mom and grounded! She didn't even know grounding was a thing! Plus, now her whole body hurt and she was more tired than she had even been. her mom and dad had called for an old guy in a white coat to look her over after they got back and he whispered some stuff to them that made mom go pale and Dad to frown a lot more than normal, so apparently she had really screwed up.

So, there she was, stuck in her room with no books to read or anything. she wasn't allowed to read, to hang out with Blake or anything!

But not everything was bad, she finally learned Bullhead's name! Turns out all you had to do was save his life and he wouldn't be such a jerk anymore. And she saved his life! She had flown! Of course, she almost died and everything and then Sarah…

 _Sarah…where did she go?_ Safira finally realized that she hadn't seen her friend at all since she had saved her. and how did she do that anyway? She was all glowing, and covered in blood, and looked super serious, and…and…

"…Sarah? A-are you there? Can I talk to you?" Sarah called out quietly, not really certain her friend would be there. And at first Sarah wasn't there, but eventually the white wire in Safira's chest brightened as Sarah floated down though the celling, the black haired older girl back in her white dress.

 _"…Yes Safira? Is there something I can help you with?"_ Sarah eventually answered, her voice really dry and her tone kinda normal…like she was talking to someone she didn't know.

And it really scared Safira, like she had lost something really important.

"U-um…thanks for the help today. I…I don't think…" Safira stuttered out.

 _"Its fine. I was happy to help"_ The older girl replied, still sounding like she was talking to a stranger. A voice that didn't have any warmth in it.

"Oh...okay." She quietly muttered, the silence between them stretching out longer than she wanted. _Just ask…she'll answer. She always has…_ "Um Sarah? Can I ask you something?"

 _"Of course."_

"Uhh…are you…not my imaginary friend?" She eventually forced out, refusing to meet the older girl's eyes. Sarah was supposed to be her imaginary friend, a fake friend, someone who only existed in her mind. But if that was true, then how had she stopped the Grimm? The Antlion was certainly real, every one had seen it after all, But Sarah had smacked it away. And she had been covered in blood…

 _"…I was wondering when you'd ask me that."_ Sarah commented in an almost amused sounding voice, drawing Safira out of her thoughts to look up at the amused face of the older girl. _"Yes Safira, I'm not your imaginary friend."_

"oh…Then, are you a ghost?"

 _"Yep, I'm a ghost."_ Sarah answered easily, still sounding like she was enjoying herself.

Safira froze for a second after that, her mind immediately going back to stories her mom had told her about evil spirits that haunted people. "Um…you're not a bad ghost…right?"

 _"…in a way, but not for you Safira."_ Sarah eventually answered, the strange happiness in her tone vanishing. _"I did bad things in life, but they were bad things against bad people."_

That made Safira perk up. "Bad people? Then you were a hero?"

 _"Nope, not at all. I was just someone who had to do bad things to live…which I didn't for long."_ Safira answered before looking at her weirdly and crossing her arms. _"Your taking this surprisingly well Safira, considering that I just admitted that I've been haunting you for years."_

"Well, I know you're a good person so why would I be scared? You were my first friend after all." Safira replied with a smile while Sarah only frowned.

 _"I see…well then, if there's nothing else Ill be going then."_ Sarah eventually declared as she started to float back up, Safira's stomach falling as she did so.

"W-wait! Why? Why are you going?" She asked worriedly, Sarah staring down at her with that same stranger look.

 _"Safira…did you forget? You told me you don't want me around anymore? That since you had a real friend you didn't need me? I don't want to get in the way of your happiness so I'll just stay as far away as I can…but if you ever need help again I'll be there."_ Sarah answered sadly, smiling down at her as she continued to float upwards.

She was…leaving? Her first real friend, one who wasn't imaginary like she always believed, was going away?...no, she didn't want that! So, in order to halt the older girl Safira did the only thing she could, she leapt off her bed with all the strength she could muster and collided with the hovering ghosts body, her warm, very real body at least to Safira.

 _"Safira?! That was dangerous? What would have happened if I hadn't cau-."_ The older girl scolded at first before cutting off when she noticed the tears leaking from Safira's eyes.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please don't leave! I didn't- I didn't think you were real and I didn't mean to hurt you and it hurt to have you not there and I-I…" Safira apologized in rapid fire as Sarah gently lowered her back onto the bed, the older girl hovering just off the mattress as Safira clung to her waist. "You're my best friend and I love you and I don't want you to go! I'm really sorry, please don't leave me alone!"

 _"…you won't be alone, remember Safira? You have your parents, Blake, your schoolmates. There's plenty of people who'll care about you now. Especially after your actions today…you don't need me around anymore."_ The older girl reminded as she gently ran her hand though Safira's blue hair.

"But they weren't there when I needed them! You were!" Safira almost shouted, barely remembering that her parents were still somewhere in their tiny house and would probably be concerned if they heard her yelling to herself. "You saved me from the Grimm, even though I told you I didn't want you anymore but you were still there! You always were! Whenever I needed help, or wanted a hug, or asked for a story, you were always there! So please stay! I…I don't want you to go!"

The room was nearly silent after Safira finished begging, only the sound of her sobs echoing though the dark room to show that time was still moving forward. Safira was so scared that she had failed, that her first real friend was still going to leave. She opened her mouth, intending to continue to beg, but before she could she felt an arm wrap around her back and lift her into the older girl's lap. Safira looked up to see Sarah smiling down at her, ghostly tears in the corner of her eyes.

 _"Well this is a problem. You said I'm your best friend but I thought that was what Blake was…so which one of us is your real best friend?"_ The older girl asked, sounding really happy despite the fact that she had just asked Safira one of the hardest questions she had ever been asked.

"U-umm…well…" Safira muttered as she tried to switch gears. "Uhh…ummm…Oh! I've got it! You can both be my best friends!"

" _Safira, part of being a best friend is that you only have one. If somethings the best then its above everything else."_ The older girl argued, Safira puffing out her cheeks in annoyance.

"Then she can be my best living friend and you can be my best dead friend!" the winged girl answered, her hands on her hips and a confident smile on her face while Sarah giggled.

 _"I see, I see. Then I guess as your best dead friend I'll have to stick around to make sure you stay out of trouble."_ Sarah continued in between her giggles, Safira staring up at her in shock.

"You…wont leave?" She quietly clarified, almost too afraid to ask.

 _"How could I? As one of your best friends its my duty to keep you out of trouble…oh man, I was looking forward to being alone for eternity to-omph"_ Sarah answered before the nonexistent air was forced out of her when Safira hugged her tight.

"…Thank you." Was all she managed to get out in between her sobs, the new tears running down her cheeks there for an entirely different reason than before.

 _"Your very welcome...now then, since you're currently being grounded would you like me to tell a story? I do have a few good ones I've been saving for just such a day."_


	5. Chapter 5

Sarah couldn't help but sigh as yet another argument broke out between the child she was sworn to protect and a boy who had been causing her no end of headaches since she had laid eyes on him, the spirit assassin choosing to let her attention wander as the two kids argued about something childish, Sarah having picked up on something about what kind of fruit tasted better.

It had been nearly eight years since she had arrived on Remnant to enjoy her afterlife, and things had only gotten more and more complicated as Safira started to stretch her wings, both metaphorically and physically. Gone were the awkward days of Safira not knowing how to talk to people, of a you girl who just thought of Sarah as her complicated imaginary friend. Now the young winged Faunus found herself in the constant company of two other friends…well, one friend and one person who just liked to argue with her a lot. Sarah could understand Blake spending so much time with Safira, as they were practically inseparable after having no one but each other to play with after so long, but she had been surprised to see Adam Taurus, the boy who would one day grow up to bring Beacon to its knees, constantly around Safira even after he gave her a lunch. Apparently Safira had managed to impress him with her heroics that faithful day in the desert, not that Adam would ever admit to it mind you.

As Sarah thought about the two children who had latched onto her winged charge she couldn't help but sigh again, the questions that occupied her mind during her sleepless nights returning in full force. When the young winged girl had encountered Blake Belladonna Sarah had been shocked into inaction, one of the few times when she had unintentionally let her emotions bubble over into Safira's mind. She now had irrefutable proof of what era she and her charge were living in, and it wasn't exactly the best time to be alive.

Granted, there wasn't exactly any quality time to be on Remnant, as the Grimm saw to that, but if Blake was already alive then that meant the fall of Beacon was on the horizon…not that she could do anything about that. Heck, the only time the shows had ever shown Blake during her childhood was a single still picture of the young cat Faunus waving a picket sign in protest, not exactly enough for the ghost to formulate any plans off of. Should she try to warm someone of the impending destruction? Should she try to get Safira to help Blake grow stronger so the cat Faunus would be better prepared? Should she encourage Safira to travel to Vale so they could directly affect the events to come? All questions that rattled around in her ghostly skull, the question of how much she should interfere in the lives of others.

 _That's even considering that I may never have a chance to interfere, Safira doesn't exactly seem too keen on the idea of going off to war against the Grimm, and I swore I wouldn't interfere in her decisions unless it was to protect her…God this is so much more complicated than just fighting._ Sarah thought with a dark chuckle as she checked down below to see that the three kids had begun to move though the marketplace, Safira and Adam still arguing despite the fact that they now had to continue their conversation in between the legs of the adults who were walking around them. She had been surprised when the child's parents had put forth the question of going to a Huntsmen academy to the child barely even old enough to understand what the question meant…but if there was one thing that Safira's trip into the sands taught the spectral fighter it was that people on Remnant grew up fast…or they didn't grow up at all.

 _Speaking of not growing up at all…_ Sarah muttered to herself as she glared down at the black and red-haired boy, said bull Faunus shivering slightly at her invisible glare, _There's the question of what to do about you, Adam Taurus._ Since she all but confirmed she was in the timeline of the show, Safira had a difficult question before her. she knew what Adam would become, the damage he would go on to do not only to innocent lives but to Blake as well, the ghostly assassin having chosen to extend her ethereal protection to arguably the most important person to Safira outside of her immediate family. And since she did know this…would it not be better to end the problem before it became one? To cut away the cancer before it became malignant?

And she could. Oh yes she could, it would be so easy to simply remove him from the equation. Sarah had learned much over the nine years of sleepless night about manipulating her aura and how it impacted the physical world, how to gather it into her fists and use it to move the non-ethereal, how to use it to block something from passing though her…and form it into what she could only assume was her Semblance. And while she still couldn't confirm exactly how she generated Aura that allowed her to perform such insane feats, at this point it didn't really matter, as while she couldn't generate aura all that fast and she used a lot to interact with the real world, she did have one advantage.

Her Aura reserves never seemed to fill up, the more she generated the more she had.

It had taken years for the teen fighter to realize this, as at first, she would only use Aura in the stingiest of ways not willing to waste what she had considered to be a precious resource. But after her defense of Safira she noticed that using all that Aura had barely put a dent in her reserves, reserves she had been building over years and years.

It was something terrifying to consider, when RWBY had been nothing more than a show Aura had been one of the most important resources to its fighters beyond their weapons. Aura healed, it protected, it allowed use of their semblances, and if Sarah's supply only increased she'd be a force to be reckoned with if push came to shove.

Not that Sarah had much time to build up a reserve with everything that Safira had gotten involved in ever since she had gotten out of her crib. After everything that had happened that day with the Antlions Sarah wasn't exactly surprised to hear that Safira had been grounded, more for her own safety than as a punishment. The doctor all but confirmed that the stress of the situation, added onto the physical strain her body was under do to trying to fly, nearly caused the young girls heart to fail. Of course everyone present had been shocked by that news, Safira's mom actually breaking down in tears once the winged Faunus had been sent to bed as it was possible that she might never recover fully from…at least she wouldn't if Sarah hadn't been around.

While the situation was awful, in the end it did give her a better understanding of the strange link of light that connected their bodies, or perhaps it was more accurate to say connected their souls. Over the last two years Sarah had spent nearly every minute of every night putting as much aura as she could though their bond and, with extreme amounts of mental effort, was able to direct the aura to heal and enhance the weakened organs of the winged child.

And slowly but surely, Sarah started to notice a change in the younger girl. She could go longer without being out of breath, wouldn't complain about chest pain's quite as often, didn't get pale after a simple walk around town so easily. She was still far from reaching the normal health of someone her age, but if Sarah kept up with her treatments by the time the winged Faunus was in her adult life she should have a normal level of health…assuming nothing else killed her before then.

 _"Maybe it's part of the trade off of being nothing but a soul? That the living can generate more but have a limit while spirits have none but can't make as much…_ " The ghost mused out loud as she floated back down lower to the ground, the black-haired girl having noticed that the three kids were talking with someone behind a stall, their trivial argument forgotten in the face of sweets.

"Well, well, if it ain't the local Princesses! What can this humble merchant do for ya'all?" The man behind the counter greeted with a little too wide grin on his face, the grin and his words causing Sarah to scowl unintentionally. Ever since Safira's heroics that day people had started to treat her with even more reverence than before, referring to the young girl as a Princess. Not that the little girl could figure out the reason. Heck, she was just thrilled that people were calling her a princess. And all that increased ego made Sarah's job all the harder.

"Wow mister! You've got so much good-looking chocolate!" Safira exclaimed as she looked down at the many chocolatey goodies presented before her. A few days ago a ship arrived in port, carrying exotic goods to the island city, so of course the three kids had immediately gone to the market after getting out of class for the day.

"You betcha little lady! The finest goods all the way from Atlas! I even have a few Vacuian salted truffles 'round here somewhere." The merchant continued, Adam choosing that moment to make a face of disgust.

"Really? We just ate not that long ago and you two are already looking for sweets? Your gonna get fat if you aren't careful." He said with a scoff, both girls stopping their window shopping to glare at him until he shrunk back in defeat.

But Sarah was only half paying attention to their conversation, most of her focus being on the man behind the counter. She always had to be careful when foreigners arrived in town, as while no Faunus would risk harming not only the only winged Faunus amongst them, but to hurt the daughter of a Huntsman would be tantamount to suicide. With humans though there were never any guarantees. There were plenty of them who only barely managed to hide their scowls of disgust, their greed seemingly only barely winning out over their racism, or others that would just refuse to speak to the Faunus children.

But this man…there was something wrong about the way he was looking down at the three kids, almost like he was shopping himself.

So, Sarah decided it was time to intervene. _"Safira, you don't have any money to spend on chocolates remember? Plus, you and Blake were going to buy some new books today anyway."_ The spectral teen reminded gently, ensuring that her suspicion and wariness were kept out of her voice.

 _"Oh my gosh, I completely forgot! Thanks Sarah!"_ Safira replied back mentally after jumping slightly at the reminder. Ever since the young Faunus had figured out the truth about Sarah she had put much more effort into understanding the older girl, asking questions about where she came from and who she was, questions whose answers were things Sarah never wanted to reveal. But beyond their more mature conversations on thing that Sarah had improved on was her own use of the link between them, discovering a way for her to communicate her thoughts directly though the link. Sarah had asked her to explain exactly how she did this, as the older girl could only speak if she wanted to be heard, but while Sarah might have matured slightly when it came to understanding her soulmate, her ability to explain the intangible remained just as immature as ever, the young Faunus only describing the method of thought communication as "Thinking really hard".

"Actually mister, I'll have to pass today. There was a new book I wanted that was supposed to come in on your boat. Do you know where Mister Dawn's stand is?" Safira asked out loud, the man pointing down the still very crowded street.

"Oh, that's right. The new part of "War of the first Huntsmen" came out a few months ago. I forgot." Blake quietly exclaimed as she blinked owlishly before grabbing Safira by the wrist and starting to gently drag her though the crowd. "Common Adam, let's go."

"You two looked at chocolates for ten minutes just to walk away without anything? …ahhh, I don't get you two." Adam questioned before sighing and following after the two girls.

But Sarah didn't immediately follow after the three children, instead remaining to watch the human who had been running the stand. And while there was nothing outwardly that continued to raise the hairs on her ghostly arms, his gaze lingered a little too long on the three Faunus a little too long.

 _Well, I guess that I'll have to be a little more alert for the next few days…should be fun._ The ghost couldn't help but think sarcastically as she felt a tug on the light line, Safira calling her back to her side.

* * *

Safira couldn't help but smile as she turned the page in her new book, enjoying the stories of heroes much more now that the Grimm were only in the page as opposed to being right in front of her. she really loved reading, the tales in the books her parents occasionally would buy for her practically coming to life in her mind as she read them. They were just so exciting! Tales of people going to strange lands, saving their loved ones, and living happily ever after, what wasn't to like?

…well, it also helped having two really good friends who absolutely loved books too…and Adam, but he was kinda iffy on the whole reading thing. Ever since the time their class went out into the desert everyone had been encouraging her more and more to stay inside and spend her time reading, even Sarah didn't want her going outside as much anymore! And sure, she didn't exactly hate hanging around with Blake and spending a day doing nothing but talking about the stories they were reading, but the times Adam showed up saying something about paying back his debt he would always wanna play games like Grimm and the Huntsman, or Find the Specter, and Safira had just as much fun playing those as spending time inside.

She had asked Sarah about why all the adults, even Blakes parents, wanted her to not go outside, and all her specter friend would tell her was they were worried about her getting too tired and not being able to not get tired…or something like that, Safira didn't really get it. She almost wanted to ask the black-haired girl to explain it better, but she could feel the concern flowing though their link when they had that conversation so she dropped it. After all, Sarah said she would be always looking out for her, so why wouldn't she trust her?

But as her thoughts went back to the older girl Safira couldn't help but frown slightly. Even now, after nearly two years of knowing the truth, Safira still felt bad about thinking the ghost girl was nothing more than an imaginary friend. She must've been so lonely all that time! So Safira decided to make it up to the older girl by talking to her every night before she went to bed, or read together, or when Safira was really lucky they would go up onto the roof and look at the stars until Safira fell asleep. She was like the perfect older sister…assuming she wasn't giving Safira a talking to like she was tonight.

 _"All I'm saying is that you should be a little more cautious of people you don't know Safira."_ The ghost girl said for what must have been the hundredth time, Safira puffing out her cheeks in annoyance.

 _"But why?"_ She thought back in confusion, Sarah sighing in response.

 _"Because…because the Grimm aren't the only bad things on the planet. Sometimes people can be much worse."_ The older girl returned, causing Safira to freeze up momentarily as the memories of the Antlion's were pulled into the forefront of her mind. _"I'm not saying that man selling chocolate was a bad guy, only that he could have been. And if you can't tell the difference between someone pretending to be good and actual good people then the actual bad people are going to take advantage of you."_

"oh…" Was all Safira was able to reply with, feeling really sad now.

 _"I'm not saying that everyone you meet is just an awful human being or Faunus…but they do exist."_ Her best dead friend comforted as she lazily circled around Safira's celling. _"And even if you don't notice, I'll be around to help you pick out the bad guys."_

Safira perked up at that, ginning widely up at the now smiling ghost. "Ok! Thanks Sarah!"

 _"Your very welcome Safira. I'm only around to help you after all."_

"Mmm!" Safira nodded back before a thought occurred to her, a frown forming on her face as she considered asking the question that was bothering her…eh, she might as well. "Hey…Sarah?"

 _"Yes Safira? Oh, and your talking out loud again. Careful, or your parents might hear you again."_ The spirit warned gently, Safira jumping slightly as she realized she was indeed talking out loud.

 _"Oh right, sorry…um…why…why do you know who the bad people are?"_ The winged girl mentally asked, Safira had asked a lot about who Sarah was when she was alive, trying to learn stuff about her big ghost sister, but the older girl always tried to avoid answering. Maybe this time she'd get lucky and finally get an answer?

But Safira's hopes were dashed when a blank, cold look passed though Sarah's features before the older spirit closed her eyes and sighed. _"Safira…"_ The black-haired girl began, her tone the same one she used before giving a lecture.

But Safira was quick to head her off. _"Please Sarah? I just…I wanna know more about you."_ She admitted as she looked down at her clenched hands, already feeling tears forming in the corners of her eyes. _"You know so much about me, you've helped me my whole life and I…I…"_

 _"…gahhh, I really feel like I should have more of an immunity to your puppy eyes considering I grew up around them."_ Sarah eventually muttered, sighing really heavily again but sounding different, almost happier. _"Fine, fine...yes Safira, I know about how to see bad people because of what I did when I was alive."_

Safira's head once again shot back up, her eyes wide in shock over the fact that her ghostly companion was willing to talk about herself. "So, you were a hero then?! You fought against bad guys and stuff? Oh! Were you a Huntress? That would be so cool to have a Huntress around all the time and-."

 _"Talking out loud again Safira."_ The ghost girl warned with a chuckle, Safira's face heating up in embarrassment as the ghost girl floated down to hover just over her bed to the point that if she was alive she would be sitting right by her side. _"But no, I wasn't a Huntress. We didn't have those around back where I lived."_

 _"None at all? What about Huntsmen then? Like my daddy?"_

 _"Nope, no Huntsmen either. We didn't have problems with the Grimm back in my homeland."_

 _"Wow, that sounds awesome! Then where is your home? Is it somewhere I can go someday?"_ Safira asked in awe, the thought of a place where you didn't have to worry about fighting against evil animals sounded almost too good to be true.

But Sarah shot down her dreams of a Grimm-free life only seconds later. _"Sorry to say, but my homeland's pretty far away. Far enough that I don't even think your dad's been there."_

 _"No way! Not even Daddy? But he's been everywhere!"_

 _"Not quite, but your dad has been nearly everywhere in Remnant from what I've heard."_ Sarah corrected patiently as she started to brush Safira's hair with her hands, the winged girl still not quite getting why she always felt like she was alive despite not being visible to anyone else.

 _"oh…ok. So then where did you live?"_

 _"Well…Like your dad, I've been all over the place too. But the last place I lived was called Los Angeles. At least I lived there before the-."_ The older girl started to explain, but stopped to stare out the window of Safira's room with a really serious expression.

"Sarah?" Safira questioned worriedly as she slowly turned to see what the older girl was looking at, and gasped in shock at the sight outside her bedroom.

Instead of a beautiful night sky filled with the buildings that made up her home, the sky on the other side of Menagerie was filled with fire, a giant cloud of black smoke covering up the stars.

Safira wanted to ask the older girl what was going on, why there was so much fire where there shouldn't have been any, but before she could her mom opened her door so fast that the door slammed into her wall and left a dent behind.

"Oh, thank goodness you're not looking at the stars. Are you ok Safira?" Her mom shouted out worriedly as she rushed over and hugged the winged Faunus so tight that it almost hurt.

"M-mommy? What's going on?" The young Faunus asked nervously as her mom picked her up and carried her out of her room and into the kitchen, Sarah hovering just off to the side, still really quiet.

"There's a fire out in the city and your daddy needs to go take care of it." Her mom explained as she put Safira down on one of the chairs in the kitchen before pouring them both glasses of water. "we need to be ready to get out of our house if the fire gets worse."

"Ok…but daddy will take care of the fire…right?" Safira asked nervously as she stared down at her glass of water, her mommy smiling sadly as she placed one of her hands over Safira's.

"Of course he will Sweetie, because no matter what your dad says, he is a hero after all." Terra comforted, Safira smiling up nervously at her mom before downing the water in a single gulp.

 _"…I'll be outside, making sure the fire isn't getting too close to the house. Call me if you need me Safira…and don't worry, I'm sure that everything will be fine."_ Safira's ghostly friend said before flying up through the ceiling, going towards the back of their home where Safira's room as and where the fire was.

As Safira's mom sat down across from her, said Faunus couldn't help but feel nervous. While this wasn't the first time she had seen a fire start, as there were some bad storms that blew though sometimes and the lightning from the really, really, bad ones could make a tree burn down…but there was no storm tonight. But the fire outside was too big…so what started it?

"Mommy? Why is there a fire? Did someone do a mistake?"

"Its 'make a mistake' sweetie…and maybe." Her mom returned with a sigh as she sipped on her drink, her mommy not drinking water but what she called adult tea. "Sometimes people just do something stupid and get others hurt. Or it could have been a Grimm, or it could have even been just a really unfortunate accident. But whatever it is, I'm sure your father can take care of it with his Semblance."

"Oh right, Daddy's super power is water stuff, right?"

"Indeed, your father has a semblance he refers to as hydromancy, an ability to manipulate water." Her mom explained with a smile, Safira mirroring her look. "With him helping it won't take them long to get the fire under control. So why don't we work on your homework why we're waiting for him? You do have that project on Remnant history due soon don't you?"

"Ehh? I don't wanna!" Safira whined back, her mom looking down at her in disappointment. But before her mom could open her mouth to tell her why she should get to work there was a knock at the door, startling both women.

"…Daddy?" Safira questioned in confusion, her mom shaking her head in denial.

"No, he wouldn't knock…maybe it's someone looking for him?" Her mom thought out loud as she walked into the hall, Safira getting up out of her seat and following after her.

 _"Sarah? Did you see who's at the door?"_

 _"No, I'm at the other side of the house right now. Hang on, I'll be right there."_ Her ghostly friend answered immediately as the two women reached the door.

But her mom wasn't going to wait for the ghostly teen, as she didn't know she existed after all, and reached for the handle of the door. "Yes? Who is it-?" her mom started to say before the door flew open.

Safira watched in complete shock as a bunch of big men stormed though the door, two grabbing her mom and slamming her into the wall. She couldn't understand why her mom looked absolutely horrified, her eyes wide and her mouth opening wide in what could only be a scream.

But she finally started to react when one of the bad men holding her mom put a cloth over her mom's mouth, her mom's eyes going even wider as she started to thrash around and screamed into the cloth. "H-hey! Let go of my mommy!" She screamed as she ran forward, intending to get her mom free. _I-I can do this! Safira helped me get out of trouble so I can help my mo-._

But Safira couldn't think anymore than that, as one of the men who weren't holding her mom grabbed her around the neck, slammed her into the ground, and pressed a blade against her throat.

"Go ahead, ya damn animal, scream. 'cause if you make a single peep We'll slit your precious 'mommy's' throat and yours before anyone can get 'ere." The man slurred, sounding almost like he had a bunch of dirt in his throat as he glared down at her.

Even with her neck and back hurting more than they ever had before, the tears that were now rolling down her cheeks weren't related to pain, they were tears of terror, pure and simple. She couldn't even form rational thoughts it was so terrifying. It was so much worse than the Grimm. She could vaguely hear Sarah calling her name, the spirit girl sounding almost angry and scared at the same time, but she couldn't respond. All she could do was whimper in terror.

The man holding her sneered down at her, clearly enjoying her fear. "That's a good little birdy. Keep quiet and you get to live though tonight." He taunted as he looked over her shoulders at her trembling wings. "Heh, never thought I'd see some'a these on the backs of you damn animals…but I ain't complainin' your gonna make me a pretty penny after all."

 _Th-they want my wings…oh gods, they want my wings…_ Safira managed to think though the cloud of terror in her mind, her thoughts still just barely registering the voice of her first friend.

"Oy boss! What do you want to do with this bitch?" One of the other men called out, Safira following his voice to see that her mom wasn't moving anymore, her eyes closed and her body limp against the wall.

"Eh?...Ah…just leave her here, no one out there wants to pay for a armadillo and we ain't exactly got the room for two of these beasts."

"Yea, yea…ugh, damn thing tried to bite me." One of the men holding her mom muttered before they released her, her mommy falling to the floor with a dull thud.

But Safira barely registered this fact, the terror in her heart growing even worse as the man holding her down brought out his own piece of cloth.

"Now then, we ain't gonna risk carrying you though the streets with you awake, not after all the effort we went though to get you. So, I'm afraid your gonna have to take a little longer of a nap then your precious momma there…good night birdie. Next time you wake up, you'll be in a brand-new cage and we'll be rich beyond our wildest dreams. So thank'ya kindly lass." The man taunted as he pressed the cloth against her mouth and nose.

Safira belatedly realized that she should be struggling, that this wasn't something she should let happen, but the fear had consumed her mind so fully that she could barely breath right. So, when the sickly sweet-smelling cloth was pressed against her face she couldn't help but breath in a few short gasps of the chemical, sealing her fate.

And as she faded into the dark, she could just barely make out the worried face of her first friend.

* * *

Swart Gresham wasn't a smart man, never having gone to a school a day in his life, but as his captain and everyone else walked down into the cargo hold of the ship with a little Faunus girl dragged behind them he knew that no matter how dumb he was he was soon to be filthy rich.

He hadn't believed his eyes earlier that day when he first saw her walking around with all the other animals, breathing their putrid air all over his goods, that they would finally get a chance to cash in on the bounty posted so long ago. While their captain did run some legal business from port to port, so as to keep the cops and Huntsmen off their back, they also kept up with some of the more…profitable businesses one could run from a ship. Mainly the slave trade.

And in the buildings where they traded people for money there was a request for a very specific type of the animal-human creatures that festered on Remnant. The type of Faunus that, according to the request, was the rarest type of Faunus around.

They wanted a winged Faunus, and they were willing to pay so much Lien for one that every man on the ship could retire and buy a mansion in Mistral and still be set for life.

And as such, seeing one walk right up to his stand and want some chocolate was naturally a very difficult time for the pirate. Swart had been half tempted to just grab the little beast right then and there and just haul ass back to the ship, but he just managed to force out a smile and close up shop the moment the little bird and her pack walked away.

Telling his captain minutes later, the man came up with a plan to get all the islands attention focused on one spot so they could grab the girl and make a run for it that night. They would light the animal's huts on fire on the opposite side of the island and grab the girl.

And based off the fact that said girl was currently being stuffed into a cage the plan seemed to have worked. "Welcome back captain. Did everything work out?" Swart asked as the grimy looking man who owned their ship sneered and crossed his arms.

"Of course it worked, I came up with it didn't I? Got the little animal right out from under her Huntsman father's nose and made it across town without a single peep from the locals." The man bragged as one of the other pirates slammed the cage shut, the girl still not even twitching. "Had to knock her out with some of the stronger stuff, but we should be free and clear by the time she wakes up…and filthy rich to boot!

"Y-yes sir! So…what now?"

"Now you watch the little bird until we get out to sea. Don't wanna risk it if she somehow wakes up early." The captain commanded as he handed Swart the keys to her cage. "If she does wake up, just beat her a little to keep her quiet. And make sure she's still alive once and awhile. We don't get paid for a dead bird." He continued before turning around and making his way back out of the cargo hold, the rest of the crew following after him, cheering to themselves as they talked about breaking out the booze.

 _Damn him, I don't want to be on guard duty…damn animal._ Swart cursed both the man who commanded the crew and the beast on the other side of the room. In truth the pirate hated the man with a vengeance. He was arrogant, dumb as a rock, and smelled like death to boot. But now that they found they're payday he could at least pretend to respect him until they made it back to port and cashed in.

"Well…at least we're getting' out of this damn place. Can't stand the smell of these stupid animals." Swart complained to no one in particular as he sat down on one of the may crates of legitimate goods in their cargo hold, whipping out his scroll and beginning to surf the Remnnet to pass the time.

It wasn't long until Swart felt the ship lurch underneath his feet as they started to pull away from port. The pirate salesman knew the Faunus wouldn't be too happy about a foreign ship leaving port in the middle of the night, earlier than it was supposed to, but with the fire still burning though their buildings they probably had more important things to worry about. Not that he had any worries at this point…

…or he didn't until he heard the dirty little Faunus girl start to moan and twitch in the cage.

Swart couldn't help but scowl as he glared down at the little winged beast. He didn't want to get any closer to the beast, as he didn't wanna risk getting any diseases off of it or somethin', but his captains orders were pretty clear that it was on his head if something happened to it before they got back to Mistral. And Swart had no illusion that if something did happen to the dumb little girl then he would never make it to their next port either.

So, after sighing explosively in an attempt to focus his anger away from the thing that was gonna make them a fortune, the former chocolate seller stood up and slowly made his way over to the cage. At first, he thought that he could just kick the side of the cage and yell for a few seconds in order to get the dumb brat to shut up, thinking that she might have woken up or something. But as he approached he noticed that the twitching had turned into a case of the full-blown shakes and the girl looked almost like she was muttering something under her breath, neither exactly good signs in Swart's book.

The stuff they used on her, some kinda liquid lighting dust or something like that, they had used on plenty of other Faunus as well. And it just so happened that while this particular dust was pretty effective at knocking out the beasts for a while, some of them could have bad reactions to the stuff. Hell, Swart had once seen a Bison Faunus puke out his insides from exposer to the stuff. So needless to say, that if the winged girl in the cage was having anything a reaction that was in anyway similar it wasn't a good omen for the pirate's future.

"Oh, for the love of…you'd better thank the gods that your worth so much ya dumb bird, otherwise I wouldn't be doing this for you." Swart cursed as he kneeled down, unlocked the cage, and slammed open the door with a clang that echoed though the hold.

Swart reached inside the tiny cell, intending to grab the dirty little Faunus by the leg and drag her closer so he could figure out what was happening, but the strangest thing happened when he leaned in to get her.

All the sudden the girls shaking stopped, her muttering quieted, her eyes snapped open, and the very last thing the pirate saw was a tiny little girl grabbing his collar and yanking him forward and straight into the top of the cage, his forehead knocking against the metal with an equally as loud clang and sending him into an endless darkness.

* * *

The second the pirate went limp in her grasp Sarah's eyes homed in on the door to the cargo hold, waiting to see if anyone had heard the noise and would investigate. But when the seconds ticked by without anyone else entering the sea-smelling room she figured she was in the clear, her attention once again turning to the man slumped against the side of her cage. The man was clearly out of it, but Sarah didn't hesitate to slam his head against the metal again even harder…and once more for good measure, before finally releasing him and crawling out of the cage they had thrown her charge into.

She had been a fool, the years of peace dulling her previously sharp senses. She had seen the man staring at Safira strangely but not once did she think that the fire that had been lit that night was anything but natural. She hadn't even considered that it might all be a diversion for something bigger. And when the absolute terror washed across their bond Sarah understood the magnitude of her failure. But even knowing this, even seeing Safira and her mother in mortal danger, Sarah couldn't act. Not without risking the lives of Terra and Safira.

Never in her life had Sarah felt such a cold, controlled fury. Not when she watched her home burn in war, not when she had seen a man's chest blossom with blood though the scope of a rifle, and not even when she plunged a knife into the chest of the man leading the assault on her country. This…this was something new, something terrifying, and if she didn't kill the men responsible for this feeling she was certain she would explode from the pressure building in her chest.

She watched in anger as the men stuffed the unconscious child into a bag and hightailed it across Menagerie only to arrive at the merchant ship that had pulled into port only a few days ago. She waited with the patience of a seasoned hunter as the men, one of which was the man who had been managing the food stand earlier that day, talk about how rich they would all be. and as the men walked out laughing to themselves about 'the easiest job ever' she made the decision to do something she had hoped she would never have to do.

She possessed Safira's body, intending to kill everyone she had to in order to return Safira home.

She had discovered her ability to inhabit Safira's body purely by chance when the little girl was around five. Safira had been asleep, deep in her dreams, when Safira had floated by intending to see what the little girl's parents had been up to. However, on this particular night she ended up floating a little closer to the girl than normal, so close in fact that her right arm would've passed through Safira's own.

Only it didn't pass though, instead the ghostly arm and the physical one merged into one and Sarah ended up pulling Safira nearly out of bed as the little girl's right arm attempted for follow along with Sarah's body.

Of course, the spirit girl immediately freaked out, to the point where she would've jumped out of her skin if she had had any, and quickly flared her aura in an attempt to sever the connection. And much to her surprise it worked, Safira's physical arm falling back down onto the bed as her own arm was once again visible.

 _…Ok, didn't expect that._ Safira thought at the time as she floated back over to the winged girl and gingerly began to test what exactly had happened.

And over the course of the next few days Sarah learned that she could, in fact, posses Safira's form. Though only while said girl was completely out of it as if Safira was conscious, Sarah's form was as solid to her as anyone else's

She was immediately repulsed by the thought, considering it a gross violation of both her oath to the girl and said girls trust, but at the same time she had to admit that it was something that could prove useful in the event that she needed to keep the girl safe in ways that her ghostly form couldn't…a situation that had reared its ugly head here tonight.

 _I need to do this fast, there's no telling what exactly the after effects of possession will do to Safira…let alone the side effects of that drug they used._ Sarah thought grimly as she began to search the now likely dead man's pockets for anything she could use. Whatever chloroform like substance they had used on the winged girl had put her out so effectively that Sarah couldn't even feel her consciousness though their bond, something that had never happened no matter how tired the winged Faunus had been. Safira needed medical attention, something she wasn't going to find on a ship of pirates.

"Wait, wait…slow down…I need to confirm that they're all pirates first…I can't be using Safira's hands to spill innocent blood after all." Sarah immediately corrected herself as she shakily stood up and looked down at her prizes.

The man had been carrying exactly what the ghostly assassin would need to solve their situation, a gun and a knife, and in his haste to make sure his cash cow was still alive had left his Scroll unlocked. Even with never having used the device in her life, Sarah was relatively confident that she could somehow make use of the communication tool to contact some form of authorities back on Menagerie.

But she couldn't risk putting a call out until all threats on board were dealt with, and as such she pocketed the scroll in favor of examining the pistol and pocketknife she had looted. The knife was fairly simple, a reasonably sized switchblade that was just long enough for what Sarah had in mind for it, and the gun, while lacking most of the features she had grown used to with earth made weaponry, also seemed to follow along the same general designs as its earthly counterparts.

"I guess no matter what world you're in, the stuff we use to kill people doesn't change that much." Sarah couldn't help but mutter out loud, the sarcasm practically dripping from her tone, before crouching down and slowly making her way to the door. Once there, Safira closed her eyes and slowly removed herself from Safira's body, gently letting the still unconscious girl slump to the floor. If she was going to do this, she needed to know what she was up against, and she couldn't think of a better way to get dirt on your enemies than being an invisible specter unbound by common sense.

Safira slowly and carefully made her way though the ship examining every room on her level. She had been afraid that they're might have been passengers on board the ship, meaning that she would have to check her targets before opening fire on Safira's captors, but thankfully most of the crew was asleep in their bunks stuffed next to the engine on the opposite end of the ship away from where the control room was likely to be, and therefore people she didn't need to worry about for the moment. If they hadn't woken up when she slammed the guards head into the cage they probably wouldn't wake up for what was to come.

But her scouting also revealed an alarming fact, that the ship they were currently on was steaming out to sea faster than the ghostly assassin was comfortable with, the port of Menagerie already turning from distinct buildings into a sea of lights dimmed by the still burning flames.

 _…I can't keep looking around like this, Safira's still out of it and needs help, help that's getting farther away with each passing second…time to get to work then._ Sarah grimly decided as she floated back down into the cargo hold, hesitating only for a second before entering the little girl's body and standing back up with a grim look on her face.

Her progress though the bowels of the ship was slow, as she kept nearly tripping over due to the differences in the size of the limbs she was used to and the limbs she was currently making use of. Not to mention she didn't want anyone noticing a little Faunus with a knife and a pistol sneaking around the ship.

Eventually, the ghostly assassin made her way up to the actual deck of the ship, enjoying the feeling of the nighttime sea breeze actually blowing through Safira's hair, a feeling she hadn't experienced in nearly eight years.

But she quickly put the feeling in the back of her mind when she noticed a man slowly making his way down from the bow of the ship. Sarah quickly slipped around another corridor, waiting with her breath held for the man to approach, a man holding what appeared to be an assault rifle.

If this had been her previous life, she would've been far more tense in her wait, the darkness of the night making it just as difficult for her to make out her target as it was for her target to make out her form. But there was at least one benefit to inhabiting the body of a Faunus that Sarah hadn't taken into consideration, that no matter how dark it got out she could still see everything with near perfect clarity. The color was washed out slightly, but even still it was far better than hobbled by the night.

And so Sarah waited, her ears easily picking up on the mans slow steps as he approached her hiding place. The man started to walk past, gaze distant and hands in his pockets, but he couldn't take more than a few steps after entering her line of sight before Sarah leapt from the shadows. The man likely never knew what hit him as Sarah swept her legs under the mans own, sending him off balance, before rolling on top of him and smashing him in the temple with the brunt of her gun. No reason to waste perfectly good bullets if she didn't have to after all.

With the guard out like a light, Safira slowly made her way in the direction the man had come from before finding herself at one of the few lit rooms on the ship, the sounds of full grown men cheering and laughing inside. Leaving Safira's body behind a few barrels by the door, Sarah ghosted inside to see what could only be described as a party happening inside. Six men were present, each one with a mug of some kind of alcohol in their hands, all cheering and laughing like they had won the lottery.

Of course, this only served to further increase the fury Sarah was currently experiencing, the black-haired glaring at each man in turn as she examined the room in detail. Most of the men were the same ones that had kidnapped Safira from her home, meaning that the ones she couldn't recognize where most certainly in on the whole kidnaping scheme.

And added to that, the man referred to as the captain confirmed it only a second later as he lifted his mug into the air with a disgusting grin on his face. "Oi lads! Shut up and listen to me! Tonight, we got us a Faunus down there who'll make us all filthy rich! Three cheers to Faunus incompetence!" The captain shouted out, the men following his lead and raising their own mugs into the air.

 _Well, at least I don't need to worry about some of them not being a part of this thing._ Sarah thought as she too grinned before phasing back though the wall and back into Safira's body. Opening the Faunus's eyes, the former assassin took a deep breath as she once again checked over her equipment. _I'm only going to get one shot at this…and its been years since I've fired a gun…but it doesn't matter, even if I'm in control Safira's body isn't strong enough from me to swim back to shore, or fly. So that leaves only one option, to fight._

And with her decision reached, Sarah took one more deep breath, stood in front of the door, and after emptying her mind of any unnecessary thoughts, kicked open the door.

The men within reacted just as she expected them to, in shock and incomprehension as they turned and tried to figure out why a girl younger than ten was currently standing in the doorway with a pistol drawn. Sarah could have opened fired on any of the shocked faces before, having almost a free shot, but instead she pointed her gun up at the celling and fired, her bullet striking true and shattering the only light in the room.

As the glass shattered and plunged the room into darkness the men before her finally seemed to realize that their prize was currently free and shooting at them, a few of them trying to rush forward in the direction she was standing while others reached clumsily for their weapons. But now that they found themselves in the dark they hadn't yet adjusted to the dark, an issue that the possessed Faunus lacked.

With none of the hesitation that one would expect in a girl her age, Sarah smoothly brought the gun back down and squeezed off a shot at each of the three men attempting to tackle her. two of the men went down with pained gasps, new holes in the center of their shirts, but the last merely staggered as his outline flashed in dull yellow before he continued onward.

 _Aura._ Sarah realized as she quickly tossed the gun to the side and readied her dagger in a reverse grip. The man sneered down at her as his hands got only a few inches from her face, but the man was so drunk that Sarah could have dodged him in her sleep. Ducking under his tackle, Sarah quickly delivered three quick stabs to the mans legs, the first two behind deflected by his Aura while the last struck true, severing the muscles in the back of his knee. _Huh…that broke faster than I thought it would. I guess Aura strength varies from person to person. Good to know._

But even as the man was falling Sarah wasn't done, rolling over his back and, in a single fluid motion born of far too much practice, grabbed him by the neck mid roll and used her aura infused arms to twist as hard as she could.

The reverberation of bones snapping traveling up her tiny arms was all the confirmation Sarah needed to know that the man was dead, the ghostly assassin not even bothering to look at the man she had just killed in favor of finding her next target. The remaining men had finally figured out how to work their weapons and had started firing wildly in her direction, and while her Aura could probably take a few bullets without giving away, she was in no rush to test it.

Rolling across the ground and grabbing a discarded weapon, Sarah took cover behind some kind of counsel in the room, a room she belatedly realized was the cockpit of the ship, only seconds before someone began to pepper her cover with automatic fire. Sarah intended to wait for a break in the fire before leaning out to take her own shot, but before she could someone else fired a pistol at the man currently unloading on her, dropping the man to the ground without much fanfare.

"Ya damn idiots, stop shooting at our goldmine! We need her alive to get paid! Circle around and take 'er down! She's just a dumb animal, can't be too hard for you morons!" The captain shouted out as the fire died down.

 _Well, don't expect me to return the gesture._ Sarah thought in grim delight as she rolled out from behind the cover and opened fire on two of the men not smart enough to realize she wasn't about to not shoot too.

One of the men went down instantly, Sarah having scored a lucky shot on his throat, but the other only took a shot to the shoulder before diving for cover. Sarah stopped shooting, hoping to draw one of them out of cover, but instead she only heard the nameless captain rushing in from her left

So, rather than simply wait to be caught in a melee with a prepared opponent, Sarah chose instead to attack the one who wasn't expecting her to rush them. Moving away from her cover, Sarah crouched low as she quickly made her way in the opposite direction that the captains voice had come from, as she assumed he was likely the strongest man present and therefore someone she didn't want to be fighting with another person thrown into the mix. It didn't take long for to find another target, said man having been slowly moving behind some boxes when Sarah found him. The moment they made eye contact the man narrowed his eyes and readied his fists, clearly prepared for whatever Sarah was going to throw at him.

So throw something at him she did. The moment she had good angel on the pirate she whipped her hand out and boomeranged the pistol at the man's face with as much force as her eight-year-old arms could muster. Thankfully, Sarah's unorthodox attack worked perfectly, as the man's eyes widened and his guard dropped as he swatted the gun away, giving Sarah just the opening she needed. The former assassin rushed forward, rolled forward, and used her arms to launch herself upwards with her feet pointed at the mans chin, intending to kick him in the head.

Or that's what she intended to do, as opposed to the wholly ineffective kick she delivered to the man's chest.

 _Oh, Mother fu-! I forgot I'm little right now!_ Sarah almost cursed, having tried to kick the habit since being joined to an infant, as she used her forward momentum to sail over the now falling pirate, using the opportunity to deliver a slash to the man's chest as she flew over him.

The man yelled in pain and fury as he turned around to attack, but Sarah wasn't about to give him the chance. Whipping around with all the speed she could muster, Sarah infused her hand with as much Aura as she could and slammed the flat of her hand into his throat, his vulnerable wind pipe shattering under her heavy blow. The man's eyes bugged out as he grasped at his neck in an attempt to recover, his hands hovering gingerly around his throat, but it wasn't long until he too collapsed.

But Sarah couldn't confirm if the man was dead or not, as the last man slammed his shoulder into her, her Aura flaring in defense but not capable of canceling out the momentum from the blow, sending the possessed eight-year-old flying to the side into a window. But the captain wasn't done yet, as he continued to charge forward and body checked Sarah into the already damaged window, the glass behind her shattering on impact.

"Well, well, ain't this a surprise. Never would'a thought that some little tike like you would've been such a fighter?" The foul-smelling kidnapper slurred as he glared down at her, applying even more pressure to Safira's throat as he did so, Sarah's black Aura shinning slightly in response. "Though I guess it ain't that much of a shock what with 'ou being nothing more than a beast." He continued before laughing loudly. "And with so much of my crew dead I'll get an even bigger share!"

The man leaned over at that, his sneer only growing at his perceived victory. "So, thank ya kindly lass, though it's a damn shame I won't get ta' kill ya now."

"Oh, don't worry about that." Sarah smiled coldly, the effect of her creepy grin only heightened due to her young body. "…Because I'm already dead." And with that Sarah left Safira's body and quickly circled around behind the now confused looking pirate. As Safira's eyes began to droop and her limbs went limp, Sarah's arm was filled with more Aura than she had ever gathered in one place, all for a single purpose.

Sarah knew about a lot of Semblances in Remnant, from hiding emotions to making the world explode, but no matter what all the Semblances she remembered always seemed like something that perfectly complemented the person in question…her own Semblance included. Sarah gathered the aura into a single point in her hand, just over the top of her hand, before igniting and forming into the shape of a white-hot blade.

A blade of Aura that she quickly plunged into the back of the man who had instigated Safira's kidnapping.

The Capitan spasmed as the blade of pure energy pierced though his Aura so fast that it seemingly did nothing to stop it, the blade plunging straight though his heart. The man died instantly, his now lifeless arm releasing Safira's body from its grip as Sarah flew back inside her flesh to keep her from getting hurt anymore, the spectral assassin's Aura the only thing protecting the eight-year-old from further injury.

"…Sorry Safira, I never wanted to use your hands to do something like this…but I do what I must to keep you safe." Sarah couldn't help but mutter as she gazed first up at the celling before her eyes inevitably fell back to the white Aura blade still humming above Safira's hand.

It had been years since Sarah had accidently discovered her Semblance, and just as many years since she had used it. She had discovered it one night by pure accident, as at the time she had been practicing against invisible opponents in order to keep her skills from not growing rusty…and to keep herself entertained during the long night.

At the time she had been imagining being surrounded on all sides without a weapon. So, she had done the only thing she could think of to help in such a situation, to gather her aura into her hands and use it to fight. But in gathering her energy into her hands she inadvertently ignited the aura into pure white blades, the spectral assassin crying out in surprise at the two blades that had formed over her hands.

In all her years of practicing with the strange energy Sarah had never seen her aura react in such a way, the power of her soul always remaining black and just as ethereal as the rest of her body. But these blades of light were actually present in the physical world, the bright light they gave off filling the room with a gentle light. Sarah had released her hold on the aura quickly after gathering it, the white blades over her wrists vanishing into the night, but from then on whenever she gathered her Aura into her hands she could feel a pressure building up over her wrists, a feeling that she could conjure the blades at any time. A power she could use to cut down anything that stood in Safira's way.

 _His Aura barely held out against the blade…does that mean he was just weak? Or is my Semblance just made to kill efficiently?_ Sarah couldn't help but consider as she gazed coldly down at the now empty eyes of the man who caused this whole situation. _…I guess it doesn't really matter in the end. They work, and that's all that I need them to do in the end._ She decided as she dismissed the blades. While they were powerful, barely slowing down when they came into contact with the pirates Aura, every second she kept them manifested drained her Aura reserves by a not inconsiderable margin, Aura reserves that could take her months to recover. Their drain making them a last resort for Sarah.

Sarah waited for a minute, barely breathing in order to keep quiet, just in case her assault and the subsequent gunfight had alerted any other members of the crew that she would have to deal with. But after a few minutes of only the sounds of the waves crashing against the side of the ship the teen was fairly certain she was in the clear.

"Now then, I guess its time to call for some backup…right after I make sure Safira's in the clear." Sarah muttered out loud as she walked over to what looked like the main control panel for the ship, Sarah pulling all the levers to zero before beginning to slowly scour the room for anything that could have recorded her in any way. It wouldn't be good if, after getting rescued, the authorities on Menagerie discovered a video of an eight-year-old girl killing a bunch of people. Sarah seriously doubted that she could talk Safira though the conversations that would come up from such a video.

Thankfully there were no video cameras anywhere in the room, though she did find some recording devices that she promptly tossed into the ocean. And as a plus, she also discovered what appeared to be a radio, although it was pretty different than the last one she had ever used. While she could use the Scroll she lifted from the first pirate, from what she had observed Scroll signal out in Menagerie was spotty at best, making older forms of communication much more reliable.

"Well I guess this is unless then." Sarah scoffed as she pulled the Scroll out and also tossed it though one of the broken windows, the plastic looking device sailing into the night sky before fading from her view. "Now then, time to find the cost guard channel." She continued as she sighed heavily and began fiddling with the nobs and dials.

Thankfully, it didn't take her long to locate a channel that, based off the stressed and panicky voices coming though, must have belonged to some form of emergency services back on the mainland. So, after taking a deep breath, Sarah pulled the mic off its stand and held it up to her lips. "Huntress on board outbound vessel from Menagerie, does anyone copy? Over." She practically yelled into the receiver, trying hard to keep her voice lower than Safira's would normally be and trying to sound as hurried as possible.

The Faunus who had been discussing how the fire had started stopped the moment Sarah finished speaking, the silence almost painful for the spectral assassin, before someone finally replied. "Unknown Huntress, this is not a public line. Please go to channel sixteen to speak to Huntsman and Huntresses services."

Sarah couldn't help but grit Safira's teeth in annoyance before once again pressing down on the talk button on her receiver. "No time for that! There's a Faunus girl in a cage on this ship and the ship is going full speed out to sea!"

"W-what? Please say again Huntress." The man on the other side of the line stuttered, clearly not expecting a kidnapping report.

"I said they've got one of your kids on board! I found some girl with wings in a cage below their deck. She's unconscious and I've been unable to awaken her. she appears to be in pain and the bastards on board know that I know she's here! I need immediate backup!" Sarah yelled back, her frustration with the situation boiling over and almost making her forget to keep her voice deeper.

"U-understood! I-ill inform the Menagerie Coast Guard. May I have your name?"

"No time! They're here! I'll buy you guys some time, just get here fast!" She shouted before drooping the mic, picking up one of the many discarded guns, and firing into the console, cutting out the communication. "Well ok then, I guess I should go put Safira somewhere where they can find her…and then take a breather." Sarah said to no one in particular as she casually walked out of the death filled room, not looking forward to the emotional strain the Ha-Neul family would be under for the foreseeable future.

* * *

 **Yay for the actual plot moving forward! For those curious, i imagined Sarah's aura blades as something similar to a Zealot's psy-blade from Starcraft. I also wanted to take a moment to explain that while Sarah doesn't have an upper limit to her Aura, she generates a minimal amount of it per day. in addition, for her to interact with anything physical, besides Safira, it takes aura to do so. so as of now she has to use her aura very sparingly...at least for now.**

 **if you have any questions feel free to PM me. otherwise, until next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

Under normal circumstances, Zephyr always made sure that if he was in public he maintained a certain level of decorum and stability. As a Huntsman and the head of his family, he understood that his mere presence would inspire confidence in his fellow Faunus, that his strength helped keep civilian moral high and kept away the Grimm. And on a normal day, he took no small amount of pride in his ability to inspire others and made sure to keep his head held high and his expression confident so long as he was in the public view.

But today…today was not one of those days. And as he stormed though the cities dirt streets he was certain his furious visage was terrifying his fellow Faunus as he passed considering how quickly they moved to get out of his way. Not that he cared all that much at the moment.

Three days, it had only been three days since the illusions of peace he had been enjoying since moving to Menagerie shattered like glass. From the moment he had first seen the hungry flames that night he knew that something was wrong. The night had been calm, there had been no reports of rouge Grimm in the city, and the flames were far too ravenous to be a simple house fire. Every instinct the hawk Faunus had had been warning him that something was amiss, but no matter how much he couldn't trust the situation, his duty to stop the flames was clear. And so, he focused all of his attention on fighting against the fire and ensuring that there were no threats in the immediate vicinity.

And it was because he was necessary at the scene of the fire that he had been there to overhear the call that shattered his idea of peace. A woman claiming to be a Huntress, their voice strained but vaguely familiar to the Huntsman, called over the radio for assistance in apprehending pirates fleeing from their land.

Pirates that she claimed had an unconscious winged Faunus in their cargo hold.

Zephyr's blood had frozen over at those words and, with more speed than he would have thought himself capable of, rushed over to the radio to request for more information. Unfortunately, he was just in time to hear the gunshots over the other end of the line before the connection went dead, his heart dying at the exact same time.

Without letting any of his internal turmoil show Zephyr turned and began shouting orders to everyone around. Some would remain on site to ensure that the fire was truly extinguished, some would proceed to the Chieftain's home and inform him of the situation before sending someone to check on his home. While the rest would accompany him to the docks in order to investigate the ship in question.

A part of him couldn't help but feel like he was betraying his love by not ensuring her safety, that she could be in just as much peril as their daughter and in need of his aid. But he also knew that Terra would be furious with him if he didn't prioritize Safira, that the life they had brought into the world together. And so the hawk Faunus made his choice, he would see to his child.

Zephyr made his way down to the docks, found the first vessel that was larger than a dingy, and using his water semblance sailed out into the night with as much speed as possible. While Zephyr knew that in reality it didn't take long for them to reach the ship, as it was the only one out at sea and was simply drifting aimlessly, Zephyr couldn't help but feel like it took hours to reach the ship, each second that passed more agonizing than the one's preceding them.

When they arrived at the ship the hawk Faunus quickly dispatched the few confused looking sailors he found floundering around on the deck, as they were either accomplices to the crime or guilty by association, as he searched each room in turn. He knew somewhere on that accused pirate ship was his daughter and the unknown Huntress who had saved her, but beyond the control room of the vessel having clearly been a site of battle he could find no sign of either, a fact that had caused the ice to once again return to his veins.

And then one of the guards who had accompanied him on the rescue mission reported that they had discovered his daughter, the Huntsman all but storming into the room that they had indicated. His daughter had been propped up behind a stack of crates within the cargo hold, hidden from sight but still in the open enough that rescuers would find her eventually. She was bruised, battered, and was paler than she had been after the Antlion attack. But she was alive, no matter what scars she had gained from that horrid night, she was alive…no thanks to Zephyr.

And so, three days had passed since then. While Terra had regained consciousness in late hours of the following day, Zephyr's daughter had yet to wake up from the chemically induced sleep she had been put in. From searching the ship the Menagerie Guard had discovered a chemical know in certain circles as "Animal Tranquilizers" among the contraband, a vile combination of dust and chemicals that attacked Faunus nervous systems with ruthless efficiency, knocking them unconscious and, in certain cases, damaging them internally. And the bastards had used such a chemical on his wife and daughter...the fact alone made him sick to his stomach. With his child's already weak constitution they couldn't be certain she would ever fully recover from being exposed to the mixture...or even confirm that she would awaken from coma they found her in.

 _Damndable humans…was it not enough that they took our dignity? That they used our ancestors as slaves? Now they must target our_ young? _Is there no end to the depravity they would sink to in order to profit from our lives?_ Zephyr couldn't help but seethe as he approached his destination, the Chieftain's house. After learning of the fire, which had been confirmed to be a diversion, and subsequent kidnapping, Ghira Belladonna placed the entire city on lock-down, preventing any of the other ships from leaving, and had offered his home to the Ha-Neul family for the foreseeable future, a kindness that Zephyr was eternally grateful for. With his daughter still unconscious and needing care along with a wife that was understandably traumatized by the events, Zephyr wasn't entirely certain he could adequately protect them while also getting to the bottom of the attack, and if there was one building in Menagerie that could be easily defended, it was the seat of power for all Faunus.

The guards outside, two Aura-awakened fighters just a step below his own strength, saluted as Zephyr approached and opened the doors for him, the hawk Faunus only nodding in gratitude as he stormed past. It didn't take him long to reach his within the massive building, the Chieftain's office, finding Ghira and nearly every Elder inside loudly arguing.

"…A true outrage! How dare they dismiss our claims so casually! Have they forgotten our part in The Great War?" One of the elders, an older man with a turtle shell upon his back, shouted as he slammed his cane into the ground in frustration.

Ghira, his perpetual smile missing from his face, didn't not respond to the fury that was churning around him, instead focusing his attention on the Huntsmen who had stopped after opening the door and bowed. "Zephyr, do you have the report from the Menagerie Guard?"

"I do Sir…Sir? If I may be so bold…has there been any change in my daughter's condition?" Zephyr responded with an affirmative before asking the question that was with him always now.

Ghira's face twisted in a grimace before returning to an understanding gaze. "…Unfortunately, no, she is still unresponsive. Elder Russet checked her over an hour or so ago, and determined that while she has not worsened, she has not improved either." The Chieftain explained as he gestured to perhaps the youngest of the so called "Elders" a portly man with antlers upon his head. "…My condolences."

"Thank you, sir…" Zephyr replied after a moment of reigning in his emotions, knowing that of anyone gathered, Ghira could understand the terror of knowing a daughter was in peril and being powerless to help.

"…Huntsman Ha-Neul, while we sympathize with your pain, we must continue forward for all Faunus-kind, your report please?" One of the elders asked, not unkindly, the Huntsman falling back on his training as he stood ramrod straight and began his report.

"…The Guard has extracted two confessions from the sailors who had been asleep during the attack. They claim that their captain had received a bounty, a bounty posted in nearly every Kingdom by their understanding, for the retrieval of a live and undamaged Faunus with wings as their animal trait." Zephyr explained in a clinically detached voice, the only sign of his fury being his clenched fists. "A bounty that amounted to nearly fifteen million Lien."

The silence in the room was oppressive as every present besides the veteran Huntsman process that revelation, their eyes wide and filled with shock. "F-fif-fifteen million…" Elder Snow managed to stutter out as he staggered back. "That's…nearly half of our national budget…who could possibly…?"

"They claim that the request did not name the buyer, only that the… 'animal' be brought to a certain location upon completion. However, neither of the two who are willing to speak with us have seen the request in person…no did we find any such request amongst the dead." Zephyr explained with a shake of his head. "It is likely that the requests are not distributed for the exact reason that currently impedes us, that if someone was found with one it would be traced back to their source."

"…I see, speaking of the fallen pirates, has there been any further evidence of this mysterious Huntress who intervened on your daughter's behalf?" The chieftain eventually asked, Zephyr shacking his head in response.

"No, while we discovered spent ammo casings on the deck and the wounds inflicted were clearly done by a professional…there was no evidence of my daughter's benefactor." The Hawk-eyed Faunus responded with narrowed eyes, the only sign of his frustration. Whomever had been responsible for the death of the pirates had gone after them with a ruthless efficiency that the trained Huntsman couldn't help but respect. They had taken out the nerve center of the ship without alerting the entire ship to their presence, a feat that he himself would be hard pressed to recreate. But vanishing without a trace? On a ship in open water no-less? Zephyr knew of only one Huntress who would be capable of such a feat, and if she had been the unknown benefactor Zephyr would have recognized her by her call for aid. Not to mention that there would have been discarded dust blades littering the ship if she had been the combatant.

"How strange…perhaps a teleportation-based semblance?" An Elder Zephyr wasn't familiar with thought out loud.

"Hmm…and there has been no sign of this woman within the other ships held at port?"

"None sir…it appears as if they simply vanished into thin air." Zephyr explained as silence returned to the chamber, each person within considering the facts. "Sir? What of the request to Mistral for information on where the ship came from? Did they respond?" The hawk Faunus asked, referring to the kidnapper's port of origin.

The fury that Zephyr had witnessed as he walked though the door once again returned to the faces of the elders, a fury that even Ghira seemed to share. "They have dismissed our claims as mere falsehoods! Declaring that we are simply fabricating the events in order to receive compensation! They refuse to turn over any details about the ship!" Elder Snow shouted.

"Elder, please refrain from yelling, there are wounded in this house after all." Ghira reprimanded in a calm voice before sighing and leaning back in his chair. "But the Elder's words are true, the Mistalian government has refused our request for information on where the ship came from, and from the sound of things we will be unlikely to discover where this vile request for a winged Faunus originated from."

Zephyr couldn't help but stare wide eyed at his chieftain, shocked into inaction for one of the few times in his life. "They…refuse us? They claim that…my daughters pain is a lie?"

"It is beyond humiliating! They treat us like nothing more than children! No, less than that, they treat us like animals!" Elder Russet shouted, apparently having forgotten the chieftains previous reprimand. "We must show them that such actions will have consequences, whether paid in Lien…or blood."

Ghira's response was immediate, as he stood, slammed his hands down on his desk, and glared at the now quivering elder. "We will not respond with violence! Such acts will only bring the Grimm down upon us all!" The cat Faunus returned in a level voice, his eyes displaying all the emotion that his tone lacked.

"…True, but perhaps there is another way to protest these injustices." Yet another elder quietly added, an elderly woman with a snake tongue.

"And what method would that be Ao?"

"We must take the lessons of the past into consideration, that if we cause enough problems and gain enough public favor, we can change the world. Just as we did previously to gain our land." The elder continued in a smooth voice, Zephyr fairly certain that she had prepared this speech a long time ago and was simply using the current situation to her advantage. "If we look to the animal kingdom from which we draw strength, what does an animal do when it is threatened? It bares its fangs. I propose we creat-."

"C-chieftain sir! Mr. Zephyr!" A guard interrupted as he ran into the room, the anger of the Elders instantly diverting onto the hapless man.

"We are in the middle of an important meeting? What is it?"

"T-The Princess has awoken!"

* * *

Safira ran in the dark. She couldn't see, she couldn't hear, all she knew was that she needed to get away. She could still here the laughter of the bad men when they had grabbed her mom, she could still feel the knife blade at her throat…could still feel the raw terror slowly crushing her heart.

So, she did the only thing she could do, she ran deeper into the shadows, trying to get away from the pain, the noise, and the hurt. She ran until her feet were bleeding, till her lungs couldn't get air in fast enough, to the point that her entire body burned in pain, before collapsing and curling in on herself. She didn't want to go back to the pain, didn't want to go back to the noise, the light, _her life,_ no…it was better down there in the dark.

 _I…I don't wanna hurt anymore…I just wanna sleep here, where it doesn't hurt anymore._ Safira thought though the tears curling even more into herself.

But before she could fade into the dark, she noticed a faint light shinning even though her eyelids, a light that felt nice. Almost like a really warm bath and a hug at the same time. Cracking open an eye, Safira was surprised to see the white cord that had been there for as long as she could remember lighting up the darkness and winding off into the distance. Staring down at the gently glowing cord, Safira couldn't help but be reminded of her first friend, the gentle ghost who had been the closest thing to a sister she would ever have. Of her mom and her dad, her best living friend and yes, she even thought about Adam. The people who cared about her, who loved her, who would be sad if she just stayed here in the dark and fade away.

And in that moment something shifted in the young Faunus, her despair turning into a desire, a want for life that compelled her forward. _N-no...I don't wanna die._ I _wanna…I wanna go home!_ Safira decided as she reached out with a shaking hand and grasped the cord with all the strength she could muster. And the moment she did, she felt something tug on the other end, something trying to pull her back to her feet and take her somewhere.

 _No, not something…it's Sarah. Sarah's here!_ Safira thought as she stood and pulled on the cord, feeling her body move upward with each gentle tug. She could still here the pirate in the shadows, could still barely make out the glint of his dagger. But the dark didn't seem so lonely now that she had a light to help her home. And so she pulled, the winged girl gasping for breath with each tug on the line. It was exhausting, more exhausting than anything she had ever done before, but she knew that the people who loved her were on the other end of the cord that connected her with Sarah, and knowing she wasn't alone made the dark not as scary.

And as she climbed out of the dark and into a bright warm light she started to feel more and more. She wasn't cold anymore, instead feeling something warm wrapped around her. she could feel sunlight on her face even though she couldn't see the sun. but the thing she noticed the most was the crying, crying that sounded a lot like her mommy. And so, with one last pull, Safira pulled herself up into the light, the young Faunus shutting her eyes against the glare…

…Only to sluggishly open them a second later to see that she was lying down in a bed that wasn't hers, her head turned towards an open window that had a bunch of sunlight pouring through it.

 _Wha…ouch!_ Safira sluggishly thought before flinching in pain, her head feeling like it was full of needles. _What happened? I remember it being dark…and before that what?_ The blue haired girl continued as she tried to piece together why she was in an unfamiliar bed.

She remembered it being really dark…and really cold…but what happened before that?

 _I was…sitting with mommy waiting for daddy to get back…and then…_ And then it hit her, the memories rushing back like a flood. _Oh god, he's got a knife and he's gonna hurt me oh no, no no no! Please I don't wanna die, please!_ "N-no! I-I don't wanna die! P-please! M-mommy, Daddy! Help me!" The Faunus girl screamed in panic as she sat up and scooted backwards in the bed, her eyes wide, panicked, and unable to see anything past the terror in her mind.

But the terror vanished when a voice broke through her panic, a voice that she knew belonged to someone she loved. _"Safira! It's ok! You're ok! Everything's alright!"_

Safira stopped suddenly, almost to scared to believe her first friend, but eventually she lowered her arms to see were exactly she was. Her mom was sitting right by her bed, her eyes wide and filled with some kind of emotion that Safira couldn't identify, something like sad times a million, her hands over her mouth and tears falling from her eyes. Her other best friend, Blake, was sitting just a little farther away, looking almost afraid of Safira, the cat Faunus half-way out of her chair but being held back by her mom. Adam was on the other side of the room, looking at her with the same wide-eyed stare that everyone else was wearing.

And lastly there was Sarah, the ghostly girl floating at the foot of her bed and staring at her with relief and exhaustion in her gaze, her older sprit sister looking more tired than Safira had ever seen her look before. Heck, she apparently was so tired that she couldn't even appear in her white dress look, the older teen dressed in the bloody shirt and blue jeans that Safira had seen her in that day in the desert. But why did she look so tired?

"…Safira?" Her mom's hoarse voice drew the winged girl out of her thoughts, the winged girl slowly looking back at the armadillo Faunus, Terra's hand reaching out for her, but she had stopped halfway for some reason.

"…M-mommy?" managed to force out though her confusion, tears of relief falling from her eyes at the sight of her parent.

"…Oh Gods! Safira! Safira!" Her mommy yelled out as she finished reaching out and pulled her into one of the tightest hugs she had ever experienced, the winged girl's bones creaking slightly under the strain.

"M-mommy? It hurts." Safira muttered into her mom's shirt, her mother only tightening her hold in response to her voice and continue to repeat her name in relief.

It was then that the door to the room she was currently lying in slammed open, drawing the still confused Faunus's attention to said door. There, her dad was standing, the hawk Faunus panting heavily and staring at winged girl with wide eyes, his face filled with so much relief and happiness that Safira wasn't sure if she had ever seen her dad look like that.

"D-daddy?" She managed to get out before he too rushed to her side and wrapped both her and her mom in a hug, his monstrously strong arms crushing even more air out of her lungs. The blue haired girl desperately looked over at her ghostly friend, the older girl only smiling and mouthing two words.

"Explain later."

…and that's when it hit her, she wasn't kidnapped anymore. she was back home, with the people she loved, she was…she was ok. And before she could even realize what she was doing, Safira returned her parents hugs, tears falling freely from her eyes as she sobbed happily into her parent's shirts.

* * *

Zephyr wanted to sigh in resignation at the atmosphere at their dinner table, both his wife and daughter staring down at their meals with distant, sorrowful gazes and he himself wasn't exactly in the mood for pleasant conversation. It had only been two days since his daughter had awoken from her chemically induced slumber, a deathly sleep that many had believed she would never recover from. After giving her time to adjust to the waking world and for emotions to cool back to a level of relative normalcy, Chieftain Ghira entered the room to stand beside his own wife and daughter before calmly and slowly asking the Huntsman's daughter for anything she could remember about what had transpired. Zephyr wasn't ashamed to admit he felt a not so insignificant amount of pride when his Little Angel had only hesitated for a second before recounting to the adults what she remembered, which was thankfully precious little. She told them of how she saw them men rush into his house, pin his wife to the wall, before their leader slammed her into the ground and pressed a blade against her throat, threatening her to remain quite or they would kill Terra. Zephyr couldn't help but tighten his grip on the clearly terrified little girl when she reached that part of her tale, as Safira's small body was shaking so much at the memories that the hawk Faunus was almost certain she would hurt herself if nothing was done. But eventually she had managed to finish her story once she reached the part of the bastards placing the cloth over her mouth, knocking her unconscious, and how she didn't remember anything after. Ghira thanked her for her bravery with a smile and informed her that if she ever needed help, regardless if that aid was physical or emotional, she needed only to ask. And with his interveiw finished the leader of the Faunus turned and ushered his own family and the Adam boy out of the room, Zephyr catching the briefest glimpse of fury etched on the man's features as he turned to leave.

The rational part of Zephyr's mind understood why their leader would ask for his daughter to recount her side of the story so soon after regaining consciousness, as the events would still be vivid in her mind and therefore recalled with greater clarity. But the emotional side of him couldn't help but want to destroy something at having to listen to his little girl speak about what she had gone through, his fury goring to the point that he was almost regretful that he didn't have access to the surviving pirates. The hawk Faunus not ashamed to admit he would more than relish the chance to inflict even a fraction of the terror and pain his daughter had experienced on the wretched scum, so great was his anger.

When all was said and done it was simply far too late to risk moving the winged child too far, as Safira was still far to weak to risk moving so soon after regaining consciousness. And so, with no other choice, Zephyr and Terra had taken up their hosts kind offer to stay the evening and return under guard to their own residence on the marrow. Safira had been moved to Blake's room, as Safira had expressed her unease at the thought of being alone and the daughter of the Belladonna's had been more than happy to comply with her friend's request, while Zephyr and Terra had taken the guest room Safira had been occupying for the night.

And despite having a far comfier bed than normal, neither he nor his wife slept much that night. Terra spent nearly the entire evening crying silently into his shoulder, the armadillo Faunus dealing with both her own trauma from that night and the anguish of how Safira had awoken. His wife had recounted how exactly his daughter had awakened and Zephyr had barely managed to keep his composure as he listened to her heart wrenching tale. Hearing how his daughter had screamed and cried as she curled away like a wounded animal…the fear that had gripped her mind and soul so completely that she had been unable to recognize her own mother. Terra, having never truly had any experience dealing with a traumatized person, had panicked at that moment, to afraid to approach her own flesh and blood when she needed her mother most…and that guilt had been eating away at her ever since.

Zephyr as well hadn't managed to embrace sleep that night, his mind plagued by the gravity his failings. He couldn't help but examine the details of the night of the fire over and over again and try and determine what he could have done differently, where exactly he had failed. Because he knew he must have failed somewhere, otherwise why would his family have suffered so much when he had such strength? It was his duty to protect his family and the innocent and yet they had both suffered despite him being nearby. And if his presence wasn't enough to protect the ones he loved, what would he need to do in order to make the world safe for them? How could he make amends for this sin?

And even after they had returned home, such thoughts continued to plague him, even here at his own dinner table. Yet, despite his constant failings in protecting his daughter, she had emerged from each situation nearly unscathed, at least in the physical sense of the word. Which begged the question, how on Remnant did she keep getting so unbelievably lucky? It was almost as if…if...

 _…Is it truly possible?_ Zephyr couldn't help but consider as he stared intently at his only daughter, said child pushing the vegetables on her plate around without actually eating, her gaze distant and melancholy and something he was growing far too used to seeing on her face. _For a Huntsman to even consider such a idea is beyond ludicrous…but after everything that's happened…is it truly so far-fetched to believe in something when no other options are viable? But if it is true…then what will we do?_

"…Daddy? Is something wrong? Am I…am I in trouble?" Safira eventually asked when she noticed her dad's intense gaze, the young Faunus fidgeting in her seat as Zephyr was drawn from his thoughts.

"…Safira, there is something I wish to ask you, and I want you to be honest in your answer. Understand?" Zephyr eventually asked before meeting his wife's gaze, Terra's eyes widening in understanding before she nodded and smiled nervously at him. _She's clearly been considering this as well…gods above help us if we're wrong...and we will need their aid even more if I'm right._

"O-oh…OK daddy, what is it?" His daughter replied after a moment, looking even more nervous than before.

However, Zephyr did not ask his question immediate as his daughter likely expected. Instead choosing to take a deep breath to stead himself…and then another, before he finally had the courage to ask the question that had been in the back of his mind since the day his daughter had been born. "Safira…exactly what kind of entity is protecting you? Who is this person that ensures your safety?"

The silence that followed his question was so tense that Zephyr was half surprised it did not manifest itself in the corporeal realm. Terra's smile transformed into a grimace of anxiety and nervousness as she directed her attention to their daughter and placed a hand over Safira's own. And as far as the bluenette in questioned was concerned…she looked far too shocked and terrified at the question for their not to be some truth to it. They were going to have to work on her poker face some time in the future assuming he was going-no, not the time to think about that.

"W-what are you saying daddy? Th-there's no one like that. Th-that's just cr-." Safira started to deny before yelping in shock and turning around so fast that she nearly toppled out of her chair, the winged Faunus staring into the corner of their dining room with a absolutely floored expression. Zephyr's eyes quickly shot up from his daughter's form to the spot she was staring at, but even with his Faunus night vision and his own impressive visual prowess he couldn't make out anything out of the ordinary in that section of the room, nothing that would indicate the presence of an old god or anything of the like.

But whatever was there must have said something, as Safira stared for another second before gulping audibly and slowly turning back around, her eyes glued to her food as opposed to meeting his gaze. "Umm…s-she wanted me to ask 'what gave her away?'"

It took all of Zephyr's not inconsiderable fortitude to not jump out of his chair in panic, Terra not sharing in his self-control and gasping loudly as she covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes wider than Zephyr had ever seen before. _Gods above…there really is someone there isn't there? This is really happening._ Zephyr thought in a daze as he sighed and crossed his arms, his muscles tensing involuntarily as his fight or flight instincts kicked in. "There were a number of signs over the years at alerted me to something being amiss…a brief chill on an otherwise warm day, a breeze where there should be none. But I had no concrete suspicions of anything abnormal until recently. The Antlion situation and…the other night being chief among them." Zephyr explained, mostly so that he had the opportunity to try and get his emotions under control, both Terra and Safira flinching slightly at the mention of that faithful evening.

"Oh…she did say that she was nervous about being found out 'cause of when she knocked that Grimm away. But daddy didn't ask at the time so we just assumed..." Safira answered after a moment, the green eyed girl trailing off as she continued to fidget in her seat.

"… 'She?' and who is she Sweetie?" Terra eventually asked, his wife occasionally glancing at the corner their daughter had been staring at almost as if she thought that something was going to jump out at them any moment.

"She's Sarah Mommy! My friend Sarah!" Safira answered with the first real smile Zephyr had seen on her face since her kidnapping, a happiness that was a stark contrast to her recent behavoir. "And she's not over there anymore, she's right there." The winged Faunus continued as she gestured to the fourth, unoccupied side of the table, both adult Faunus's eyes shooting to the indicated spot in order to try to make her out, both failing to see anything.

 _…Sarah? Her imaginary frein-, no, clearly not so imaginary as we first believed._ Zephyr considered as he studied the air around the fourth side of the table. _Nothing, not even a wisp of Aura…perhaps she is only visible to Safira? Then what exactly would be the reason that my daughter would be capable of perceiving the supernatural? Is this some sort of curse? Or is it perhaps..._

But Zephyr's thoughts were once again interrupted when his daughter started to giggle seemingly without reason, a almsot disturbing thing to do if it weren't for the fact that the entire situation was insane. "She's says that "Its nice to finally meet you, Zephyr Ha-Neul, Terra Ha-Neul. I am Sarah, the ghost who guards your daughter. Sorry for not introducing myself before tonight, but I figured you didn't want to know that you were being haunted for the last eight years." And then she waved and smiled." Safira explained, Zephyr wanting nothing more than to flee from such a situation that was too far outside of his comfort zone.

"I see…is there any way for this…'Sarah' to make herself visible to us? Or make her presence known?" Zephyr eventually asked, still not fully willing to accept his daughter's words without some form of physical evidence.

"Ummm…I donno? Can you Sarah?" Safira admitted before turning and asking the air, the silence palpable for a moment before the winged child turned her attention back to her parents and shook her head. "She says she can't, at least she's never tried to before. And she says 'shes too tired to use Aura for that right now'...What's Aura?"

"Hmm…then does she have some other means of proving her existence?" Zephyr couldn't help but ask as he narrowed his eyes, ignoring the girls question for the moment. While he had no real reason to not believe his daughter, the situation was simply too outlandish for him to take it on faith.

"Uhh…I don't really-Hn?" Safira started to deny before looking over at the place she had indicated with a surprised look. "Really? You think that will work?...Ok! Do it do it!" Safira said with a laugh before looking back at her parents. "Watch this mommy! Daddy! She's gonna show you that shes real!"

Zephyr couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at his daughters excited tone, curious as to what could make her so happy with her heart still heavy from recent events. For a few seconds nothing happened, but as his daughter started to rise into the air the hawk Faunus lost what little self-control he had left and leapt out of his seat in shock, Terra gasping in an equal level of surprise.

And despite her parent's shock, Safira simply smiled as she hovered a few feet off her seat, seemingly perfectly at ease. Zephyr couldn't help but walk around the table and examine every inch of the space around his daughter. He could see a strange black shimmer around his daughters back, similar to a person's aura, but otherwise there was no sign that a being was anywhere neaby.

"S-sweetie? Are you ok? Wh-what's happening?" Terra couldn't help but ask, his wife growing almost hysterical at the otherworldly display.

"Sarah's holding me up mommy! That's how she's showing you that she exists!" Safira replied with a smile as she was gently lowered back down to her seat as if nothing had happened, leaving both the adults stunned beyond belief.

"Alright…alright then." Zephyr finally forced out as he returned to his seat, ensuring that he gave the fourth side of his table a wide berth as he passed it. In truth, Zephyr wasn't sure where exactly to take the conversation now that his question had been answered, and in all honesty, a part of him would have been happier for this to all be just in his head. The supernatural was never something he dealt with very well, better to leave those types of things to the truly superstitious, like his old Professor, Ozpin or perhaps Qrow. they had always seemed to accept things like this at face value.

Thankfully Terra, being the kind mediator she had always been, stepped up to continue the conversation with their daughters ghostly companion in his place. "So, Sarah I have a question…or should I ask you this Safira?" Terra started before looking over at their daughter, Safira shaking her head in response.

"Nope! She can hear you just fine, though I have to tell you what she said back."

"Ok then, I wanted to ask, just when exactly did you meet our daughter? How long have you been here?" the armadillo Faunus asked, Safira looking back to the empty space for an answer.

"…Eh? I didn't know that." Safira muttered out loud after a moment, apparently lost in her own conversation with her apparition.

"Safira?"

"Oh! Sorry Mommy. Sarah says she got here when I was born." Safira relayed Zephyr's eyes widening slightly at her words.

 _From the very beginning? Then…was it my plea?_ _Was my prayer actually heard back then?_ The hawk Faunus couldn't help but think back to that faithful night, the night that his daughter had come back from the brink. _Then did she…was she the one who saved her that day?_ Zephyr remembered that day well, the fear of losing his daughter, the anxiety of not being able to help, the desperate prayer he gave to the gods above…to think that their answer to his prayers was to bind a lost soul to his daughter. He most certainly hadn't been expecting that. _Then does this 'Sarah's' presence here mean that…the legends are true? Damn it, I never wanted such a fate for Safira. I must try to stop this while there's still time, before her fate is beyond my control._

Terra, having apparently come to the same realization as Zephyr but did not sharing his concerns, looking at the corner of the table with tears leaking from her eyes as she once again covered her mouth, a far different kind of shock now present on her face. "From the very beginning?…then you…You were the one..." She managed to force out, her voice heavy with such gratitude that Zephyr couldn't help but feel choked up for a moment.

"Uh…she says "Yes, yes I was...and I was happy to help." …what are you guys talking about? Help with what?" Safira relayed, looking incredibly confused. "…Eh? Why do I have to wait till I'm older? Common, tell me! Tell me!" Safira whined, apparently having a conversation with her ethereal companion, as Terra laughed lightly with tears in her eyes. Zephyr watching nearly enraptured as the two women in his life, both who had been filled with fear and anxiety, were now laughing and crying in joy.

But Zephyr, despite feeling nothing but gratitude to the unseen person currently at his table, knew what had to come next. What he had to do to protect his daughter. So, after pushing all his emotions into the corner of his mind as he had been trained to do so long ago, the hawk Faunus cleared his throat to draw the attention of all living and non-living beings present. "Ms. Sarah, while I appreciate your aid to our family, more so than I can properly put into words, I must ask you…is there any way for you to remove yourself from my daughter's life?"

The hawk Faunus gazed into the space he believed this Sarah was standing, attempting to convey both his appreciation, and his apprehension in a single look. He could feel his wife's stare on the side of his head, her gaze questioning but not confused. The years that had spent in each other's company gave them both a good deal of insight into each other's thought processes, so Zephyr had no doubt that Terra had worked out his concerns by now. From how grateful she had seemed earlier, the hawk Faunus had no doubt that she disproved of his request, but he wasn't willing to back down now that he had asked. If the legends relating to winged Faunus held even an iota of truth, then his daughter would one day be…no, he couldn't consider such a possibility. He had to prevent it.

He had failed to protect his daughter too many times already, gods above only knew how many more times she would be in danger if he let things continue.

But unfortunately, Zephyr had underestimated just how attached his daughter appeared to be to her ghostly companion, as the look on his daughter's face at hearing her fathers request could only be described as complete devastation. "D-Daddy! No! Please, don't make Sarah go away!" Safira shouted as she jumped out of her chair and scrambled around the table to stand in front of Zephyr, her tiny hands grabbing his shirt in an attempt to make him focus on her instead of the spot where she had indicated Sarah was. "I-I promise to do all my chores and do whatever you tell me! I'll eat my veggies, just don't make her go!"

"Safira, do you understand just what her presence in your life means? You will never…" Zephyr started to explain, trying to make his stubborn girl see reason, but as he turned his attention to his daughter he couldn't help but pause. The blue haired child was crying more now than when she had woken up from her coma. Her expression was one of both terror at the future, while also carrying a stubbornness he hawk Faunus rarely saw in his daughter.

"P-please daddy! Don't…" Safira started to beg again before whipping her head around to stare at where the ghost girl had been standing, her head slowly turning as she apparently watched her supposive friend make her way around the room. "Sarah no! I- I don't wanna say that! I won't!"

"Safira, what did she say?" Zephyr commanded in the most authoritative tone he could muster, hardening his heart as his daughter began to shake uncontrollably, her sobs and her fear making her practically vibrate on the spot.

"…S-s-she said that… "I don't know if I can ever truly leave, but if you wish it sir, then I will stay away from your daughter for the rest of my days. I promise I will"" Safira eventually recounted in a defeated tone, her head lowered and her bangs covering her eyes. Terra rose from her seat at the table and moved to hug her daughter from behind, the young Faunus seemingly not even registering the contact.

Terra looked up into Zephyr's eyes as he looked down into hers, their gazes carrying a conversation all their own. From the look of conviction in her eyes, Zephyr could see that whatever misgivings she currently had on the subject of specters living in their home had been put aside, she was willing to allow this 'Sarah' a place in their lives, a decision she had more than likely reached the moment she had hear of the ghost's involvement in their daughter's birth. But she was leaving this decision to him, she would put the pieces back together if he forced Sarah to leave or would welcome the girl with open arms depending on his choice.

Sighing heavily, Zephyr opened his mouth to command the specter to vacate their home and to prepare for Safira's inevitable fit, but before he could utter a single syllable his daughter looked back up at his face and the gaze in her eyes caused him to pause.

There was a…strength there in her eyes, a strength that Zephyr had never before witnessed in his little gem. A strength that seemed far beyond what any child should be capable of projecting.

"Dad…please. Sarah's…she's my best friend, my first friend. She's been with me forever, for as long as I can remember." Safira started to explain, her voice surprisingly calm considering how much she had been begging just a second ago. _No, not calm._ _Resigned_. _And something...more._ Zephyr realized as his daughter continued. "She's helped me so much. From helping with school to helping me make friends. She tells me stories about the world, helps me go to sleep when I have nightmares…and even keeps the nightmares away." The tears were once again falling from Safira's eyes, but her voice did not waver, the unfathomable strength held withing holding Zephyr's own gaze. "She's kept me safe, kept me happy…and if she leaves I…I don't know if I can keep the bad men out of my nightmares anymore. So please Dad, don't make her go away..."

Zephyr couldn't help suck in a breath at that, both at the revelation at how bad the mental trauma was and how Safira was behaving. There was almost a majesty to her in this moment. This was not just his child, not just a little girl refusing to give up a friend.

This was…something else, something that Zephyr couldn't help but feel awed at.

Despite not seeing one of the people in the room, the hawk Faunus knew that all eyes were on him. All he had to do was say it. To tell her to leave, and his daughters peaceful existence would be as assured as it could be.

And yet he…he knew what he had to say. A decision that had nothing to do with the look his wife and daughter were current sending his way, not one bit.

"…Ms. Sarah…you are free to stay so long as you do not cause trouble for the Ha-Neul family." Zephyr eventually declared, not allowing his anxiety to show as his daughter screamed in delight and threw herself into his arms, burring her head in the crook of his neck with a surprising amount of force. _Honestly, how in the name of the gods did she develop such an impressive kicked puppy look? We lack any canine genes in our line!_

Terra was standing by his side, a hand on his shoulder as she gazed down at him lovingly…they were going to have to have a long conversation about this tonight, hopefully in private if such a thing was even possible in a home that was haunted, but at the very least he could clearly see that she was happy with his decision.

Safira had pulled back a little and was grining widely at him, her tears still falling but for a likely far different reason than they had been a few seconds ago. "eh heh…she's crying daddy! I've never seen her cry before!" Safira announced as she gestured over her shoulder. "And she's say's thank you! And that she promises to not make you regret it!"

"I hardly think that she, or anyone for that matter, is qualified to predict such a thing…but it is a welcome sentiment nonetheless." Zephyr replied with a faint smile on his lips, his daughter tilting her head slightly in confusion. But considering that this Sarah had spent nearly eight years in his home he was allowed to give her a hard time for now, at least until was able to bring himself to fully accept such a guest.

 _At the very least, she wont cost us anything since she does not eat. Small blessing that._ The hawk Faunus couldn't help but think as Safira and Terra engaged in an animated conversation about the unseen protector in the room, the winged Faunus beginning to explain all about all the adventures she had been on with her ghostly companion. He couldn't fully dismiss the fear he was feeling over his daughter's future, but at least for now he could let her keep a friend by her side. Someone to protect her when no one else could.

As it was likely that he wouldn't be in a position to do so in the near future, as if Elder Ao's idea were to be implemented, their fangs would soon be bared against the hatred in the world.


	7. Chapter 7

"Bye mom, see you." Safira murmured quietly up to her mom as she hugged the older woman. Her mommy holding her a lot tighter than she normally did, the young Faunus finding more comfort in that embrace than ever before.

"Have fun at the Belladonna's home and just…just be careful alright?" Her mom warned, her smile looking painful than ever before, as she tucked a stray lock of blue hair behind Safira's ear before gently turning the winged Faunus around to see her two guards for the day. Both of the daddy-age men before her wearing the same black outfits that she had grown used to over the last few weeks. One was old, his mustache all grey and scraggly, while the other one was really young, looking between the two Ha-Nuel women with a really nervous expression.

"Do not worry Ms. Ha-Neul. We will allow no harm to come to your daughter. I swear to you on the honor of the Menagerie Guard." The moustache one said as he placed a hand over his heart and bowed to mommy, Terra smiling at the two men and bowing herself.

"Of course, I'm counting on you." Mommy answered before looking down at Safira and nodding knowingly. The young Faunus nodding back up at her mom with the same exactly look. Safria knowing exactly what her mom was talking about, her secret friend.

 _"You know, if you two keep making faces like that in public people are going to think somethings up, and it's pretty unlikely they'll guess right so who knows what kind of rumors will start floating around."_ The Ha-Neul familie's ever present ghost commented from somewhere over Safira's head, the young Faunus wanting to giggle at the funny tone her dead friend was using but swallowing said laughter instead, she didn't wanna look crazy to her guards after all. The blunette turning around and slowly walking in the direction of her best friend's house all while maintaining her straight face.

Safira was glad, so very glad, that her daddy hadn't told Sarah to leave that night like he had wanted to and instead allowed her to stay in their family. Her mommy and daddy had talked a lot to the ghost girl, Safira repeating whatever the older girl said back to her parents 'cause they still couldn't hear her. They had talked about where Sarah had come from, the spectral girl talking about more places Safira didn't recognize, to the weird energy thing that Sarah did sometimes, a thing called Aura apparently. And while Safira was always excited to learn new things about the black-haired ghost, the real reason she wanted Sarah to stay was because she…she just really didn't wanna be alone so soon after…after…

 _Blade pressed against her throat, angry, mean, eyes glaring down at her, fear-somuchfear._

 _"Safira!"_ Sarah shouted, the green-eyed girl flinching out of her thoughts to realize that she had stopped walking, her two guards looking down at her in concern.

"Is something wrong Princess?" The younger of the two guards asked her, the man using that weird nickname that people had started calling her by when she got back from…the ship _blade against her throat-._

Safira sucked in a breath before clamping down on those thoughts. She didn't wanna-couldn't think about that right now, instead she put on her best fake smile and looked up at the two adults with her. "No, I'm ok. Just thinking about stuff."

The mustache man didn't really look like he believed her but nodded anyway as he gestured in the direction of Blake's house. "I see. Then shall we continue Princess? It would look poorly upon us if we delayed for too long." He asked, Safira humming in agreement as they moved forward.

They only managed to make it a few steps before Safira felt a bunch of nice feeling feelings coming though their link, the young Faunus smiling slightly at the good feelings before frowning a little in confusion. Ever since she woke back up and had been told what exactly had happened her spirit friend hadn't really said anything about that night other than talk about what the older girl saw. She was always around, which was really nice when she had nightmares and woke up crying, but at the same time everyone she knew was constantly asking if she was ok and looking at her sadly, a look Sarah had explained was pity…except for Sarah. Did she…did she make the older girl angry somehow? Was Sarah ignoring her? These were the thoughts that were constantly running though her head nowadays…and that wasn't even mentioning the other thing that she wanted to think about, the decision she wanted to make but was just too scared to think about. What if she wasn't strong enough? What if…what if she was going to be this afraid her whole life?

 _Wait, that doesn't make sense, she said something to me earlier so she's not mad, stupid, stupid Safira._ Safira realized as she shook her head to get rid of the bad thoughts, not bothering to consider the other thing anymore, her two guards looking at her strangely for a second before once again returning their attention to their surroundings. _But then…why isn't she asking if I'm ok too? Why wouldn't she?_ She questioned again, despite the fact that no answer presented itself to her like she wanted.

Eventually, after taking the long way around so Safira could avoid the crowds of Faunus that inevitably gathered in the center of town around this time, their little group reached the Chieftain's home. It was at this point that the guards that were always around Blake's house nowadays took charge of protecting Safira, not that the little girl paid them much attention, she had gotten used to being escorted around by people with weapons ever since…that day. The guards escorted her up the steps before one of them stepped forward and knocked on the heavy wooden door, Blake's mom opening the door after a little while, nodding at the guards, and smiling down at the blue-haired girl.

"Hello Safira, how are you today?" Kali asked quietly as she placed a hand on the Faunus's head and keeled down next to her, that sad look on her face.

"Unn, I'm ok…can I play with Blake?" Safira asked, just as quietly, a flash of something sad crossing the older Faunus's face for just a second before she smiled again.

"Of course you can sweetie. Blake and Adam are out back with my husband. I'll take you to them right now ok?" Kali answered before looking up at the two guards. "Thank you, gentlemen, I'll take her from here."

"Ma'am!" Both shouted before turning around and walking down to the bottom of the steps, Kali gently wrapping an arm around Safira's shoulder and leading her into the house. They walked in silence for a moment before Safira looked up at the older woman, her expression one of faint hope as a question came to mind.

"Umm…Ms. Belladonna? Is my daddy here? Mommy said he might be here when I got here, so i was just wondering..." She eventually asked, after the night when her parents had found out about Sarah, Safira's dad had been spending less and less time around their house besides for the times he wanted to ask Sarah something. And from what Safira heard he wasn't actually out in the desert like he was sometimes but was just somewhere in Menagerie ... It was kinda lonely actually, knowing he was around but not somewhere she could see him.

"He was here earlier, but your daddy had to go talk to some people about something really important with some of the elders." Blake's mom apologized as she patted the girls shoulder, Safira frowning for a second before forcing a smile back onto her face.

"Th-that's ok. I just…" Safira trailed off, not really sure how to say what she wanted to say.

 _"Your dad does love you Safira, never doubt that."_ Sarah added from above the young girl's head, nearly startling the younger girl.

 _"I know Sarah. I just don't know what daddy's thinking about anymore 'cause he's never home. And he keeps asking about you and-."_ Safira answered, her thoughts beginning to pour though their mental link unabated before the older spirit began to chuckle.

 _"Like I said, you don't need to worry. Your dad isn't going to make me go away. He just…needs to work things out."_ Sarah commented with a shrug. _"Also, Ms. Belladonna is still speaking to you, so you might want to start paying attention to her again."_ She continued, Safira actually jumping slightly and noticing that yes, Blake's mom was looking at her like she was expecting an answer.

"U-um…I'm sorry, I wasn't listening." Safira apologized as she put a miserable expression on her face and looked down at the floorboards, the Cat Faunus not buying her act for a second.

"Nice try, but Blake does the exact same thing when I catch her not paying attention."

"Uh…sh-she told me to do that actually." Safira admitted, Ms. Belladonna rolling her eyes and patting the winged Faunus on the head.

"it could use some work, Blake tends to add a trembling lip as well." And with that Kali slip open the door to the backyard, Safira blinking slowly at the confusing sight they found there.

Blake's dad was currently swinging around Adam by his leg like a doll, the bull Faunus screaming curses as the Chieftain threw him into some weird scarecrow looking post while Blake was on her knees panting heavily next to a tree with a weird indent in it. And then, right when he hit the post, Adam's body glowed bright red with some weird light, a light that kinda reminded Safira of the black light that she sometimes saw around Sarah. Maybe it was that Aura thingy?

But Safira didn't have long to think about it, as Blake's mom walked forward and cleared her throat, drawing the attention of all three Faunus. Blake looked up with an almost nervous look, Adam looked kinda sheepish, and Ghira smiled brightly as he clapped his palms together, an almost thunderous boom echoing though the courtyard.

"Ah, young Safira. How are you this fine day?" The Chieftain asked, his own voice just as big as the rest of him.

"I'm ok." Safira answered easily, the answer almost automatic at this point, as she looked around the backyard. "Umm…are you playing some kind of game?" she couldn't help but ask.

"That's one way to look at it I suppose. A game to improve one's body and spirit." Ghira answered before adopting a stern expression. "Though I cannot allow you to join us, as this training is far too advanced for you."

"O-oh…" Safira muttered as she looked down in disappointment.

"Dad…" Blake whined as she stood shakily and made her way over to Safira, hesitating only for a second before hugging the winged girl.

"B-Blake?" Safira couldn't help but squeak out, not really concerning herself with the sweaty, sticky hug she was currently getting but worried more about why she was getting it in the first place. "W-what's wrong?"

"…You looked like you could use a hug." Was all Blake whispered as she broke off the hug and turned back to her father with a serious look of her own. "Dad, even if we can't do Aura training with her, she can join us for everything else right?"

"Hmmm…I suppose that should be fine, so long as she doesn't push herself too hard I see no reason to keep her from joining us." Blake's dad replied after a second before laughing. "Besides, a good sweat does wonders for anyone! Come little Safira, let us see just how well your father is training you." Ghira continued as he cracked his knuckles, Safira paling considerably as the sickening crunch echoed across the backyard.

 _"…Wow, I'm kinda glad I'm dead already. This isn't gonna be fun for you."_ Safira heard her spirit friend commented from somewhere behind the winged girl, a sentence that Safira couldn't help but agree with.

* * *

Sure enough, it didn't take long for Safira to reach her limit, the young Faunus laying on her back trying desperately to figure out a way to both fill her lungs with as much air as possible while ignoring the burning in her limbs, and failing miserably.

"Really? That's all you've got Seagull?" Adam sneered, falling back on what he used to call her in an attempt to get a rise out of her. a tactic that Safira knew pretty well at this point because Sarah had pointed it out when he did it. "At this rate you won't be coming with u-."

"Don't be a jerk Adam." Blake cut him off with a whack on the back of his skull, Safira smiling tiredly up at the scowl now on the bull Faunus's mouth. "And you're not supposed to be talking about that." She finished, the look on her friend's face making Safira more than a little curious.

"Eh, eh? What? What are you guys talking about?"

"Don't worry about it, young Safira. Simply a choice that these two need to make in the coming days." The Chieftain answered as he walked up, the smile that he had been giving them since they started their little exercise game fading slightly as he turned to his daughter. "Though speaking of. Blake, you need to make your decision soon. Aura or no, it will be a difficult path to walk on. Make certain that this road is the one you truly wish to walk."

Safira watched with growing curiosity as Blake frowned, like she was working on a really, really, hard math problem, before she bowed her head. "…I will father. I promise."

"Mmm, good. Now then, if you three will excuse me, I have some business to attend to." Ghira replied as he gestured back towards the house, Safira peering around the man's leg to see two Faunus in weird red hoods waiting in the doorway. "Safira, feel free to spend as much time as you wish here. My home is yours as well. But I must take my leave. Blake, Adam, I expect you to continue what we have practiced in my absence."

"T-thank you sir!" Safira yelped as she struggled to sit back up and bow awkwardly, the older Faunus simply waving off her awkwardness and turning back and heading into to the main house.

An awkward pause followed in the wake of Blake's father leaving, as Safira was still too exhausted to put enough words together to actually make a sentence, but the silence was broken when Adam made a really weird snorting noise and flopped down himself across from the winged girl.

"Tch, damn it Blake, I know we asked him for this, but your dad's a real slave driver." The bull Faunus complained, Blake shrugging as she pulled out a book from her pocket and quietly sat down next to Safira.

"He says we need to be ready for anything if we're going with him…and after what happened I agree." The cat Faunus answered quietly, Safira's confusion at the situation only growing.

"…Ok, you guys are being really weird. What the heck are you talking about?" The winged girl couldn't help but ask, the way they both tensed at her question only causing her to narrow her eyes further in suspicion.

"N-nothing really! Father is simply helping us become stronger." Blake hurriedly explained, Adam nodding along with the cat Faunus almost mechanically.

"Y-ya! 'Cause we gotta make sure we're tough enough so that if any human bastards show up again we can kick their asses!" Adam shouted in agreement, his eyes going wide when he realized the mistake he had just make.

"Shut up Adam!" Blake hissed back but the damage was already done, as Safira had frozen up at the mention of humans, her eyes wide as she stared off into the distance.

"You…you shouldn't do that…humans like that…they're really scary." Safira eventually managed to force out, a pain filled smile stretching across her lips. "And besides, bad people like them won't bother us here in Menagerie anymore…right?" Safira asked tentatively.

But no one answered her, not the living or the dead. Adam and Blake looked at her like they really wanted to say something but really didn't know how to say it. While Sarah had that same sad smile she always had on in recently. Now that Safira thought about it, what if...what if that was why Sarah was never asking about what Safira was feeling? What if the ghost already knew? But if that was the case...then the black-haired girl knew just how bad everything was and that meant...

"Safira? What's wrong?" Blake's words startled Safira out of her thoughts, the blue haired girl flinching back slightly as the cat Faunusl leaned forward with a really worried looking look on her face. "You were just staring off into space with a sad look."

"Oh…I-I'm fi-."

"You're not fine!" Safira's denial was interrupted by Blake's shout, the cat Faunus leaping to her feet and staring down at the still shocked winged girl. Blake was…was she actually mad? Blake almost never got mad, just pouting a little if she was really upset. Safira hadn't ever seen her look so angry and upset at the same time, it was kinda scary actually. "Everyone can see it! We're all really worried about you but you just keep saying nothing's wrong, that everything's ok when it really isn't!. We want to help you, but you just keep pushing us away!...Do you…do you really not trust us?" Blake anxiously questioned as she sat back down and reached out to grasp at the hem of Safira's shirt, her hand shaking a little as she did so.

Safira was utterly shocked, so shocked that she couldn't even reply with her usual 'I'm ok'. Blake was this worried about her? Worried enough to actually reach out for her? Her cat Faunus friend had always been a little shy about hugs and stuff like that in public, Sarah saying she was a lot like Safira's daddy in that regard, so for her to actually grab Safira was really surprising...But still…" Blake…I just can't. Please…" Safira half begged as she gazed down at the grass beneath her. Why? Why did everyone want to talk about that night? Didn't they get that it hurt to think about? Sarah was the only person who never asked how she was, what she felt about those horrible people, she just… "Please, just don't ask me." She continued, tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes.

"…But…but you're in pain…and I wanna help you, but I don't know how and-and my mom says that talking about problems can make them better…but you keep saying your fine and…and I don't know what to do." Blake started to cry as well while Adam simply watched with a really upset look on his face, the bluenette vaguely recalling Sarah telling her that no matter how old a boy was, they were never really that good at dealing with crying girls.

Safira clenched and unclenched her hands as she tried desperately to think of a way to explain, to figure out a way not to have to talk about her pain, but before she could figure out an excuse she felt a pair of really warm arms circle around her back. Safira slowly looked back up to see that Sarah was now giving her a sideways hug, the older girl giving her a look that reminded her of her mom. It was a look that made her feel safe, a feeling like no matter what she did right now, everything would still be ok after everything was said and done.

So, after taking a shaky breath to try and calm her stomach, not that it really helped, Safira looked back up at her best friend, the look on her face making Blake's eyes go even wider than before. "…I'm scared…I'm so scared Blake. E-every time I close my eyes I hear them laughing…w-when there's too many people around I think someone's gonna grab me! I-I can baerly sleep at night without thinking that the next time I wake up I might be in a cage again!" Safira was practically screaming now, her hands that had been clenched onto the ground only moments ago now wrapped around her chest in an almost vice like grip. "When the sun goes down I can feel his knife against my throat! And I don't know what to do anymore! I can't, I can't do this anymore!"

"But they got the guys, right? They can't hurt you anymore. So why would you still be scared!" Adam argued as he started pacing around in front of the two girls, his arms tensed like he wanted to take a swing at something but he didn't have anything to fight.

"I know! I know that! But I can still hear them laughing at mommy and saying they were gonna kill her! I can still see their faces when I meet strangers! I just…I…" And just like that, everything that Safira had been trying to hide was out in the open, leaving her completely drained. The strain was just too much for her as she placed her head in her hands to try and hide her tears that were now gathering in her eyes, despite the fact that her shaking body and occasional sobs gave her away. She was thankful that she was still in Sarah's arms, and that the older girls hug only getting tighter as Safira explained things, as the hug was the only thing that kept her upright.

And then, without any warning, another pair of arms wrapped around her. a pair of arms that was a lot smaller than her spirit friend's but attached to a very warm body that was currently pressed against her. awkwardly moving her hands out of her face, as her arms were currently trapped between the body currently pressed against her and her own, Safira was surprised to see that instead of just holding her like before, Blake was now full on hugging her fiercely, her arms were so tight that the winged Faunus almost felt like she was going to bruise.

"…I'm sorry…I so, so sorry." Blake muttered into Safira's shoulder, her hug somehow getting even tighter than before. "I knew that you were scared, but I never thought…never considered that you'd be that terrified by what happened."

Safira's sobs quieted into sniffles as she returned the hug, putting as much strength as she could into her grip. "I didn't want to tell anyone. Mom and Dad would just get upset and you and Adam… I just…didn't wanna hurt anymore..."

"…Damn them…Damn them!" Adam cursed before slamming his foot into the ground, the soft earth actually cratering under his anger. "All Humans ever do is take and hurt us Faunus! We can't keep letting them walk all over us like this! And your dad really thinks that being all peaceful is really gonna help? What we need to do is fight back, do to them what they've done to us!" The bull Faunus continued, looking between the two of them with an almost desperate look on his face.

"That's…" Safira trailed off as she looked back down at her best friend, who had tensed at Adam's words. Sure, she wasn't exactly the biggest fan of humans right now, but that didn't mean that she hated all of them…plus, Sarah was technically a human too! Or at least she was when she was alive, so it didn't make sense to be mad at humans just because of the bad ones.

But Safira didn't say anything, how could she? The only humans Blake or Adam had ever met were the guys who sold stuff at the port and…and the people who kidnapped her. she couldn't talk about Sarah to people outside her family, so she couldn't tell them how nice her first friend was…but she still wanted to say something to change their minds.

Though in the end she never got the chance to, as Blake decided to speak up before the winged Faunus could decide what to say. "Adam, there's no reason to talk about this here." The cat Faunus commanded, her words still slightly muffled due to her head still resting in the crook of Safira's neck

"But!" Adam shouted, clearly willing to argue some more, but after glancing at Safira for a second, he simply clicked his tongue and turned away. "…I'm going to go train some more." And with that the red-head walked over to the other side of the backyard, leaving the two girls still hugging.

"…Blake?" Safira eventually managed to find the courage to break the silence, as her best friend still hadn't moved from her position, though thankfully her grip had lessened from 'trying to snap in half' strength to 'very uncomfortable'.

"… Safira, I'm sorry that I made you talk about this." The dark-haired girl apologized as she finally pulled away, her yellow eyes understandably red and puffy considering how wet Safira's shirt was now. "I don't know how to make your pain go away, I don't know how to help you…at least right now."

"Right now?" Safira parroted in confusion, enjoying the newfound freedom of her arms to finally wipe at her own eyes which probably didn't look much better than Blake's.

"Mmm…I've decided." Blake continued, seemingly ignoring Safira's confusion as she stood and stared off into the distance for a second before looking back down at winged girl, Safira gasping at the determined look in her best living friend's eyes. "I'm going to make this word a better place. A place where no one will hurt you like that ever again. I promise."

Safira blinked slowly at that, not really following what her best friend was saying, but before she could question her Blake's mom walked out of the house and made a startled noise in the back of her throat, drawing the attention of the two girls.

"Blake? Safira? What's wrong…wait, were you crying?" The older cat Faunus questioned before rushing over to kneel next to the two kids, her concerned eyes quickly scanning over the two girls. "Come along inside and tell me what's wrong. I'll have someone bring us some tea alright?" Kali warmly suggested, although she didn't even wait for an answer before gently helping Safira up and guiding her back in the direction of the house, the older cat Faunus yelling something at Adam as they went inside.

 _"So, feeling better Safira?"_ The winged Faunus's ghost friend asked, Safira jumping slightly in surprise as she had nearly forgotten that Sarah was there, Kali whipping around to check on her.

The winged Faunus couldn't answer immediately, as she had to try and make some excuse that Blake's mom would accept, but after mumbling though a pretty lame excuse she noticed Sarah hover just off to her side out of the corner of her eye, not that she had a good reply anyway. _"Eh?"_

 _"Do you feel better after letting that all out?"_ The spirit clarified as she passed though a wall, her attention never leaving the younger girl.

Safira blinked owlishly for a second before actually thinking about Sarah's question and…she actually did feel a little better. It felt like some of the weight that had been on her chest since she woke up was gone now, like everything was just a little brighter, a little better. Not fixed, but…nicer.

 _"Ah…eh uh yes, I do feel a little better now…how did…?"_ Safira couldn't help but question as she and Blake sat down at one of the really low tables Blake's family owned, the winged child not at all that bothered with sitting formally due to the many days she spent around the table reading with Blake, waiting for the tea and Sarah's explanation.

…But when no reply came from her spectral sister Safira couldn't help but turn her head to the side, all while trying to make it look as natural as possible, to see Sarah staring off into the distance with a look that was really familiar to the young Faunus…as it was a look she was seeing more and more in the mirror every time she saw her face. _"I know because I've been where you are now. Not for the same reasons but…I know what its like to feel useless and afraid. And when I felt like that, the worst thing was people asking if I was ok."_ Sarah turned her attention back to the now shocked winged girl. _"I knew that the only way you were going to feel better was when you were ready to talk about it, not when anyone else wanted you to talk."_ And then the older girl smiled, Safira feeling her own lips curl upwards almost like magic. _"I know it doesn't seem like it, but someday you'll be able to move on from this. You'll carry it with you yes, but every day that goes by will make it feel better. And I'll be here for you every step of the way…Also, Ms. Belladonna just asked you what type of tea you'd like. I'd go with peppermint or lemon balm if I were you."_

Safira jumped to answer the question her soul partner had heard, her mind still stuck on the ghost hovering to her side. Sarah…was just so cool. She was so strong, so nice, and so smart. She was everything the young Faunus wanted to be…she was a hero.

 _Is this…how my dad makes people feel? Is this what being a good guy is like?_ Safira considered as she stared down at the table, her hands clenched in her lap. _Is this what it's like to be strong?_ She questioned, despite knowing the answer deep down inside already.

… _I think I know what to do…what I want to do._ Safira decided then and there…now she just had to figure out how exactly to bring it up to the older girl.

* * *

"Good night Dear. Try not to stay up to late, alright?" Zephyr heard his wife call from over his shoulder, the hawk Faunus not needing his admittedly limited imagination to know she was likely smiling fondly at him.

"Of course not Terra, I will join you soon. I simply have some things that need to be confirmed…goodnight." The head of the household returned as he took a seat at the now cleared table and folded his arms in front of him, listening as his wife turned down the hall and moved in the direction of their room, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

And what a myriad of thoughts he had that night, almost far too many to actually consider any individually. _Chieftain Ghira's timetable is accelerating as more and more Faunus agree to join the cause. I will be getting even more busy in the coming days…which is why it is time for us to finally have this conversation._ Zephyr couldn't help but think as she tore up a piece of scrap paper and let the scraps gently fall in a pile on the center of the table before nodding in satisfaction and folding his arms, resigned to the wait before him.

He had learned over the last few weeks that while Sarah was incapable of sleep, a fact that the hawk Faunus couldn't help but feel pity over despite himself, the ethereal guardian of his daughter would remain by Safira's side until she was deep asleep. Something that wasn't necessarily quick to occur due to recent events…or at least that was what he managed to interpret from his daughters less than precise explanation, she had never been truly that excellent at explaining herself after all.

While Zephyr still held reservations in regards to the new member of the Ha-Neul family, he had to admit that from what Safira had spoken about she was useful in regards to the development of his daughter. She aided the winged Faunus in school, watched over her in public, and according to the bluenette's less than stellar explanation was capable of using Aura to heal the child's wounds.

That last part was quite the interesting fact to learn, as the hawk Faunus was fairly certain that no one would have been able to activate the ghost teen's Aura besides for his daughter, and he knew for a fact that she had no idea what Aura even was. Terra and Zephyr had most certainly never mentioned the power of one's soul to the child, and the Huntsman doubted that any of the elders would risk his displeasure by going over his head in that regard…so how exactly did Sarah awaken said soul energy?

 _A question for another time perhaps, there are far more important questions that need to be answered this night._ Zephyr determined as 'something' blew though the scraps of paper, sending them swirling around the table. A wind that normally couldn't be possible considering all the windows were shut and there was no one else present.

"Sarah, I'm glad you noticed my invitation." Zephyr greeted calmly to the open air, already used to ignoring the absurd notion that was him speaking to an empty room. "I apologize for taking up your time tonight, but there are certain things that we need to speak of one on one…but first, I would like to show you something." The hawk Faunus explained before pulling a small, gray, device from his pocket and placing it a good distance away. "While I do not know if you have had a chance to see these devices in your time with us, this is known as a Scroll. A handheld communication device that has become commonplace in the last few years. I intend to give one of these to my wife, along with one to Safira. I will go over most of the functions with her tomorrow, but for now there is one aspect of this device that you need to take note of." And with that, the head of the house grabbed the two sides of the devise and pulled them apart, revealing the screen and projecting the various apps that had come pre-loaded on the Scroll. "This application here is called 'note', and it allows a user to type whatever they wish without risk of the information being given to others." And with his explanation finished, the Huntsman leaned back in his chair and watched the Scroll's screen like the hawk he was. Safira claimed that their families ghost was of noteworthy intelligence, and as such he had no doubts she would understand the implications of such a tool.

And sure enough, after only a few seconds of waiting, a message began to slowly get typed out by an unseen hand. "I C. Nice 2 finly speak 2 U."

 _She's already figured out how to get a message across without wasting her Aura. Impressive._ Zephyr complimented in his head before nodding at the message. "Good…now then, before we begin in earnest, I wish to thank you for your cooperation and for giving my wife and I the space we needed these last few weeks. I will admit, it has been…difficult adapting to the knowledge that there is an unseen person in my home at nearly all times. But despite my misgivings you have behaved honorably from what Safira has relayed to me and have aided my daughter immensely in her recovery. For that you have my gratitude." The hawk Faunus humbly thanked as he slightly lowered his head in respect, his eyes never leaving the Scroll's screen.

"Hpy 2 hlp." Was the simple reply, the simple text missing any audible clues that would allow the Huntsman to determine if the spirit truly felt that way or felt anything at all at his heartfelt gratitude. A frustration, but one that he was willing to put aside for now. "Thank you. Now then, while the investigation will likely never close, the Menagerie Guard has completed their reports on the 'incident' and was unable to determine who intervened or how they were able to defeat the pirates…So now I must ask you, Miss Sarah…were you the one who killed the pirates?" the Huntsman asked with all the authority he could muster. He hadn't fully asked the night he confirmed her existence and therefore had to know the truth.

Not that it seemed to be needed, as the answer was typed out almost immediately. "Y." was the simple, one letter reply. The ease of which implied a certain level of callousness that the spirit possessed when it came to the act of taking life. A level that even Zephyr, in all his years of protecting intelligent life from both the creatures of Grimm and the scum of society, had yet to reach.

"I see…" Zephyr muttered before closing his eyes for a moment, falling back on his years of training to get his emotions under control, as the next question was one he both needed to know, but dreaded hearing all the same. "…Miss Sarah, my daughter has stated that for you to interact in the physical world you are required to expend immense amounts of what she called 'black light stuff' an energy I believe to be Aura. But many of the pirates died from physical wounds that would have been impossible to create simply using the energy of the soul…unless one had a physical body." At this, Zephyr once again opened his eyes, not bothering to mask the anger held within. "You used my daughters body to kill those men, didn't you?"

This time the answer was not as immediate as Zephyr would have liked, but just as before the keys on the Scroll began to blink one by one as the spirit wrote out her response, Zephyr's heart falling with each letter that appeared. "Yes, I did. I am so sorry."

The moment Zephyr finished reading the words he closed his eyes in sorrow, the admission hitting him with a near physical force. He wanted to be angry, to be furious, at the teenage spirit. He wanted to condemn her for doing something that could never be taken back…but he couldn't. He couldn't hate her for her actions, for he knew that there was simply no other choice. Had she chosen to do nothing and keep his daughter pure, she would be half a world away by now, forever out of his reach.

And in the end, was it not his own failure to keep his daughter safe that led to Sarah having to make her choice?

"…I see. I…do not blame you for what you've done." Zephyr eventually managed to force out, not able to determine if the spirit believed him or not but based off of his daughter's explanation of the ethereal teen's impressive insight he highly doubted it. "I simply wished to reaffirm the truth. For my own peace of mind… You fight well for the age my daughter described you as. Tell me, where exactly did you learn such techniques? Were you perhaps an aspiring Huntress…in your life?" Zephyr continued, only pausing for a second as he considered how best to phrase his question. It would make sense to hear that she would have been his junior if she had lived, as while not anywhere near the level of a fully trained Huntress, she clearly understood antipersonnel combat beyond what any civilian knew.

But the answer was not what Zephyr was expecting. "N. fght n War. Lrn thn." The disembodied teen replied after a second, the Hawk Faunus only blinking a few times in surprise before placing a hand under his chin.

 _She was a combatant in the Great War? So, she would have been the ago of my Grandparents, perhaps Great Grandparents, if she had lived…but that does explain her skills. As from what I understand of that era, no one was truly a civilian in those days. As you either fought or you died._ "I suppose that explains your talent…does my daughter know of your participation in the war?"

"N." Another simple reply was typed out, Zephyr assuming that the spirit simply didn't enjoy speaking of those days and respecting her silence. Such memories were better off left in the farthest reaches of one's mind.

"I see, and have you been teaching any of these techniques to my daughter?"

"N." The same reply, Zephyr humming in understanding before clasping his hands before him.

"Then I would like to formally request that you begin instructing my daughter in the basics of combat. To the point that she will be able to recognize threats and retreat accordingly." The hawk Faunus requested with a slight tilt of his head.

"Y not U? Hunt gd fight right?" Sarah asked back, a legitimate question assuming his interpretation of the words being "Huntsmen fight well correct?" Was accurate.

"Because I will not be around to teach her such techniques." Zephyr answered solemnly, the two finally reaching the other reason for their conversation. "I will be leaving Menagerie in the next few days and I do not know when I will return." He explained, but before he could continue, Sarah began to type, the two words she spelled out once again catching the trained Huntsmen by surprise.

"White Fang?"

"…Yes. I admit, I'm surprised you learned of the Fang's existence, as neither Terra nor myself have mentioned it to my daughter. Nor would any other Faunus after the Chieftain requested Safira be kept in the dark. How did you hear of it?"

"Tk twn. Ovrhrd awy fm S." the spirit answered back, Zephyr taking a moment to decipher her words as "Overheard in town while away from Safira".

"I see, a useful skill to have." The Faunus mused out loud. If his daughter was capable of intercepting supposedly private conversations using a being that no one knew existed then the White Fang would have a major advanta- no, there was no point thinking about that. The decision had been made, and no matter how much he wished to see his daughter grow up it was simply out of his hands.

"Take S with U?" The spirit asked, Zephyr shaking his head immediately, feeling slightly disturbed that Sarah had seemed to read him so well.

"No, neither my daughter nor my wife will be joining me in the White Fang. Their less than ideal health aside, my daughter would be too much of a target on the open road. We cannot risk a similar incident occurring, not when so many Faunus here rely on her presence, too many having faith in the Legends surrounding her." Zephyr admitted, one of the few times he had ever admitted to the stories surrounding his daughter.

An acknowledgment that the spirit jumped on immediately. "Lgnd? Wt lgnd?"

"You…do not know the legends surrounding the winged Faunus?" Zephyr confirmed after a brief pause due to needing to interpret the message, yet another 'N' appearing on the Scroll in response.

That statement had Zephyr leaning back in his seat, the Huntsman viewing the spirit in a new light, at least in the metaphorical sense of the expression. After learning of her existence, Zephyr had simply assumed that she was naturally aware of the legends that surrounded winged Faunus. How could she not when her very existence gave credence to one of the oldest tales the Faunus knew? But now that he thought about it, if this child spirit was indeed someone who had died in the Great War and was once human then it was only natural that she wouldn't be aware of the tale of the Winged Tribe…a situation that he would need to rectify here tonight.

And after taking a moment to collect his thoughts, the Huntsman began his tale. "…The story of the Winged Tribe is perhaps the oldest legend our people tell. It states that long ago there was only one sentient race that walked upon Remnant, Man yet not the Man of today. They built towers that pierced the sky, forged creations beyond our understanding, even beat death. But in their hubris, they forgot their respect for nature, they lived beyond their means and stole from the world with reckless abandon."

"And in retribution for their arrogance, the world itself forged creatures that reflected Mankind's twisted nature…creatures of darkness that fed on Man's hidden fears…The Grimm. The legends state that this first Man fought against the darkness using their mightiest creations, even going shattering the moon in their attempt to fight back the tide, but in the end the civilization of the first man was nearly wiped from the face of the planet."

"But all was not lost. A small number of the first Man realized their mistakes, their hubris, and felt true regret over their actions. They pleaded to the heavens for a chance at redemption, a chance to mend their ways. And it was then, in their most desperate hour, that the Winged Tribe descended from on high…the first Faunuses of creation."

"These winged beings granted the first humans with two gifts. One was the power of the soul, our Aura's, as a bulwark against the living shadow and a manifestation of our individuality. And the second, a connection with the animals that prowled the land, traits of the animal kingdom and eyes that could perceive the truth, even in the darkest corners of creation."

"Creat Funs?" Sarah clarified as Zephyr paused to collect his breath, the letters being typed out coming slower than before. Was she surprised? Shocked at his story? Or was she just growing tired from using her Aura for too long? But of course there was no way to know so the Hawk Faunus simply continued on.

"Indeed. The Winged Tribe forged the first Faunus in those moments, Faunus of all species born in a single moment. And just as quickly as they came, the Winged Ones left…though not before leaving a prophecy for the newborn Faunus. "We will return one day, oh children of man and beast, born anew with wings upon our backs. And upon that day, hold our new forms aloft, for these children will bring about an age even greater than before." And with that, they vanished without a trace. Leaving the first tribes of Faunus to fend for themselves in a broken world."

Zephyr sighed then, pinching the bridge of his nose in an attempt to stave off the oncoming headache. "Of course, many consider this nothing more than superstition, as the legend doesn't explain how humans gained Aura or how exactly the first Faunus survived when by all accounts the Grimm were even more vicious in those days, but it is a story that nearly ever parent tells their children regardless. Those born with wings are considered the greatest of Faunus, bringers of a new golden age and destined for greatness, though none has ever lived past their fourth full moon…until my daughter was born."

Zephyr wasn't sure how, but he could almost feel a shift in the atmosphere at his words, a nearly indescribable pressure that came and went like a tropical storm. But if Sarah was the cause of the strange phenomenon, she did not write out what she had done, leaving Zephyr to continue on. "Of course, I do not blame you for saving my daughter that night, I could never be so calloused as to think Safira would be better off dead, but the fact remains that to many of my people my daughter is nothing short of a god-elected prophet. You've seen the looks they give her sometimes, a reverence that even the chieftain falls short of. They see her not as a weak, sickly, lonely girl, but as something beyond them. And as her father I wished to save her from such expectations, to keep her innocent of what the world expects of her for as long as I can."

"But I can no longer ensure she safe here, not when damndable humans such as the ones who tainted our shores recently come for her and will likely continue to greedily seek out their fortunes at her expense. So, I will go forth and change this world with my own two hands if need be, to force humans to accept our people as equals, as beings who simply want to survive for as long as possible on this accursed planet. So that my daughter may live her life without fearing every human she passes on the street."

Zephyr stood then then, his movements slow and methodical, as he stood to his full height and bowed low. His body nearly bent at a ninety-degree angle. "And so, I ask you Sarah; despite having every right to seek out the peace that all those with souls deserve after death, will you continue to protect my daughter? To safeguard her in my place? This, I beg of you."

Zephyr waited a moment before moving his eyes to stare at the Scroll, the cursor blinking slowly but not revealing the spirits answer. He began to frown, worrying that he had somehow offended the spectral teen, but before he could say anything a strange sensation began to spread out across his shoulder. A sensation that almost felt like…like someone's hand was resting there.

And then it happened. It was barely a whisper, barely even qualifying as a noise at all. And if it weren't for the fact that seemingly the entire world had fallen silent in that moment Zephyr was certain he would have missed it.

 _"…I will."_ Somethi-no, someone whispered in his ear. A young, tired, and quiet voice, but also a voice filled with compassion a gentle warmth. A voice that had likely been speaking with such kindness to his daughter for the past eight years.

"…I thank you." Zephyr eventually managed to force out in a nearly broken voice. And if his shoulders were shaking nearly imperceptibly he simply chalked it up to the fact that he was currently being touched by a spirt.

* * *

Sarah watched with a slight frown as the fleet of ships carrying a good chunk of the Faunus population of Menagerie sailed out into open waters, the spirit occasionally looking down out of the corner of her eye at the clearly still quietly upset child she was bonded to. Safira had cried for hours when her father had informed the family of his decision to leave with the White Fang and that Safira and Terra would remain on the island. She of course had stayed out the discussion that had eventually devolved into the bluenette throwing a tantrum, as she did hear about it before hand, heck she knew even before Zephyr had informed her of his decision, after all.

And it only got worse when, on the day that the new created Faunus rights group was leaving, Blake and Adam announced their intent to go as well. The sheer devastation that had passed though the link from Safira nearly overwhelmed Sarah to the point where she couldn't do anything to mitigate the feeling.

She had, of course, known for years that the White Fang was going to start at some point and that Blake and Adam would leave Safira behind. But it had always felt like it was still far ways off, like it was just some fact that didn't really have anything to do with her…

She had been thinking about it like this was all still a story she had watched years ago, like they were nothing more than characters that they had all once been.

In short, she was being an absolute idiot. How many years had she been in Remnant for? How many years had she been watching the cat Faunus interact with Safira thinking in the back of her mind that Blake was simply a character from a story long ago?

It was yet another failure of hers, and Safira was once again paying for her mistakes.

 _Speaking of…_ Sarah thought as she turned her whole attention back to the eight-year-old currently standing at the end of the dock she was hovering over, the young Faunus currently staring out at the sea with a blank expression, something that was even more disturbing than seeing her bawling like the little girl she was.

Ever since she had seen her father and only friends off she hadn't said anything, only stared out at the gently rolling waves, the young Faunus having asked her mom to be alone for a minute leaving the spirit and the Faunus alone on the dock. Heck, Sarah was barely even getting anything though their link, no sorrow, no anger, just a strange feeling of numbness…it was beginning to make the spirit anxious.

But at the same time, she wasn't quite sure it'd be a smart move to try and open that can of worms right now. Safira had, after all, just recently gotten her feelings on the night of the kidnapping out in the open. Sarah knew what it was like to carry around something that hard in the back of your head. Her own memories of the night of the invasion bothering to this day when she wasn't being careful, the flames, the blood…the terror. And she knew that immediately after her own trauma she always felt a stab in her heart when someone came to her and asked if she was ok. how the pity in their eyes just hurt, not helped. But one day, when the shock from the opening day of the war finally faded, she finally broke down and let it all out, and it was only then that she finally started to feel better.

So, she had given Safira the same space that she had wished others would have given her back then. The time to work through it, to come to terms with it, and the chance to seek out others for help. Sure, it probably wasn't the healthiest of coping mechanics, but it works.

But for this situation…Sarah didn't exactly have much experience with being left behind to help. Sure, she knew what it was like to wait on others to come back, she had spent hours at rendezvous points waiting on the other survivors to get back, but this was different. Sarah knew that there was no guarantee that this White Fang would be any different than the one from back when RWBY was just a show. And even if it was the same, they would be fighting for years with nothing much to show for it.

There was a very real chance that Safira wouldn't see three out of the five people in her life for a very long time…but still, was it really a good idea to try and bring it up so soon?

 _Gah, I'm just going to keep thinking myself in circles at this rate._ Sarah eventually thought as she shook her head rapidly, secretly glad she didn't have a body anymore as such rapid movements would have likely given her a headache back when she was alive. _I'm just going to have to push though. "…Safira-."_ The spirit started but stopped when the Blunette turned around to stare up at her, but it wasn't just the fact that Safira made a move first, rather it was the look in the child's eyes. A look she had the night that the Ha-Neul family learned of Sarah's existence.

"Sarah? There's something I wanna ask you…and promise you won't get mad?" The winged girl asked calmly, her voice quiet but carrying the same authority she had pulled out of nowhere when she had asked Zephyr to allow Sarah to stay.

And the spiritual assassin wasn't any less effected by her strange demeanor than her father had been that night. _"Of course, Safira, what is it?"_

But contrary to what she expected, the green eyed did not immediately reply, instead gazing down at the planks below her feet. "…I'm really tired Sarah, I'm tired of having to be saved, of being in danger and needing you or my…my dad to come get me. I wanna be strong."

Safira looked back up then, her eyes clear and filled with a strength that caused Sarah's eyes to widen. "I wanna-…I want to be a Huntress."

The Sprit said nothing at first, choosing instead to look at the younger girl, really look at her. Her first, and immediate, response would have been to refuse but the former assassin squashed that thought as quickly as she could. Despite the fact that Sarah wanted to tell Safira that she should just find some simple, safe job and stay out of the danger that was coming…but she couldn't. after all, didn't she make a vow to let Safira live her own life? That she would only help the young Faunus with whatever she needed?

So instead of voicing her concerns, the spirit instead took a deep breath and smiled down at the young Faunus, a smile the older girl was certain looked positively predatory. _"Alright then, we'll start training tomorrow. You'd better prepare yourself, because I'm not going to take it easy on you like your dad has been."_ The black-haired teen announced, noting with pride that while Safira did shiver at the thought of exercise she didn't complain.

 _Well…at the very least everything's going to be happening half a world away._ Sarah conceded with a shrug as Safira thanked the older girl and turned back to looking out at the sea, spirit already going over how she was first taught CQC. But at the very least, the spirit was absolutely certain that the next few years would be anything but boring.


	8. Chapter 8

_"You know, I keep thinking that one day I'm going to grow tired of watching this-_ " Sarah started to muse out loud as Safira once again threw the heavy rubber ball Terra had gotten for her at the corner wall of the Chieftain's home. Only for the very same ball to smack her in the face and send her to her knees. _"-But then you go and do something like that and make this so much better."_ The ghost finished with a snicker.

"…Sarahhh!" The bluenette whined out as she rubbed her forehead, the young Faunus continuing to lay on the ground as she did so.

 _Thank god Safira's finally old enough to appreciate sarcasm, I was getting tired of holding back because of how young she was. "Sorry, sorry, my mistake. Here, let me help you up."_ Sarah couldn't help but think as she laughed and held out her hand for Safira, the green-eyed girl only hesitating for a second before grabbing the offered appendage. Sure, it would probably cause a normal person to pass out from seeing Safira get pulled to her feet by an invisible force, but thankfully no one ever really bothered them when they hid out in Blake's old back yard. Plus, they were using the wall of the guest house for this particular exercise, and since there wasn't a chieftain around to have guests, the place was pretty much abandoned.

It had been a few months since the White Fang was founded and Safira's training was in full swing at this point. Not that Safira had much else to do nowadays. Ever since the incident, Safira was almost never allowed to leave the chieftain's house, as Safira and her mother hand been invited to live with Blake's mom while the rest of their families were away. Heck, she wasn't even allowed to go to that old Elder's house for schooling anymore, the little winged Faunus learning everything she needed from Terra, Kali, and Sarah now.

And without Blake or Adam around to spend time with, Safira had of course started to spend all her time with Sarah, even more than before the young Faunus had made friends.

"…Sarah? Are you sure this will help me learn how to fight? It seems like a waste of time to me." The bluenette complained as she looked down at the unassuming rubber ball with barely concealed hatred. Not that it was undeserved, as the little orb was responsible for more bruises at this point than anything else in Safira's life.

And Sarah couldn't help but laugh once again at the younger girls look. _I'm sure, I was trained in a pretty similar manner after all."_ The black-haired girl comforted as she patted Safira's head.

"But…why? I mean, shouldn't I be doing sprints, or lifting heavy things, or something like that to get stronger? That's what all the advertisements I see on the Remnnet show people doing and they look pretty strong." Safira continued arguing, a slight pout on her slightly less chubby cheeks.

 _"…That's true, you could do those things…but they really wouldn't help that much in the long run."_ Sarah finally got serious as she gazed down at Safira, the little Faunus blinking slightly at the sudden change in her ghost sister's tone.

"E-eh? Why?"

 _"Because you don't have the body for that kind of training."_ Sarah answered simply as she pointed down at the rubber ball. _"I'm sorry to say Safira, but you'll never be as strong, or as fast, as your peers. Your mom doesn't talk about it much, but I know she has a pretty weak constitution, a weakness you inherited from her."_

"So…so that's why I get so tired all the time when playing with…with people. Because Mommy-mom has a weak body too?" Safira clarified as she looked away for a moment. The young Faunus still wasn't all that willing to talk about her friends, friends who were no longer around, and while Sarah hadn't ever actually asked about it, she was pretty sure that Safira was feeling a little jealous about being left behind and probably didn't want to talk about it.

So, the older spirit didn't, instead choosing to focus on the first part of Safira's words. _"Unfortunately, so rather than focus on being the strongest, or the fastest, things that the other huntsmen and huntresses will easily beat you in, we'll work on something that very few people have much experience in; reading your opponents and reacting accordingly."_

"Ok…so what does that mean?" Safira eventually asked, her face scrunched up in thought as she tried to figure out Sarah's words.

 _"It's simple. If you can't beat your opponents, then we'll just make sure you won't be hit by anything. I had your mom cut out some of this ball so that it would be harder for you to predict where exactly its going to go, and by training yourself to at first catch it, and then dodge them by as small a margin as you can you'll improve your reaction time."_ Sarah explained, adopting her 'lecture mode' mentality as she did so. Sure, back when she had been taught this exercise, she had been forced to use rocks thrown by the other kids, but the principle was the same. _"Don't get me wrong, you're not getting out of jogs around the city, or lifting weights. But most of our time will be spent focusing on reaction time training. That ok with you?"_

"Oh, sure. I understand." Safira answered without a second of hesitation, something that Sarah very carefully did not flinch at. Safira almost never didn't believe in Sarah's words, and that level of trust was something that others would be pretty quick to take advantage of out in the real world.

 _Especially if what Zephyr said about her supposive destiny turns out to be true._ Sarah thought bitterly as Safira once again started throwing the ball against the corner of the wall, the young Faunus reacting a second too late to catch said ball and therefore having to go get it as it bounced farther into the yard. Sarah hadn't been one to believe in fate or gods much before, as she simply couldn't accept that some cosmic entity wanted people to suffer like she did, but that belief didn't necessarily hold water here on Remnant. Not when there was a guy who came back to life, prophesies all over the place, and two brother gods who had left their things lying around before high tailing it away.

And since destiny had always been such a big part of this world, Sarah didn't for a second believe that the whole legend revolving around Safira wasn't going to, at some point, rear its ugly head. And when it did they both needed to be ready for when it did.

Hence why Sarah spent most of her evenings now running though her moves, practicing so that she could fight when she needed to. She knew that just because Safira wanted to be a huntress didn't mean she was going to get involved in the plot, but considering their track record for meeting characters from the story she wasn't exactly going to get her hopes up.

Plus, its not like Huntsmen and Huntresses ever actually hunted Grimm as part of their jobs. They spent most of their time fighting against nefarious ne'er-do-wells after all so Sarah's very specific talents wouldn't go to waste if her little Faunus ever did find herself on the wrong end of the story.

"…Alright Safira, that's enough ball throwing for now, lets go do some suicides to work on your sprinting." Sarah announced, Safira paling immensely at her orders.

"Wha-! How could you suggest something like that Sarah?!" The young Faunus called out, the older ghost blinking in confusion for a moment before finally connecting the dots and rolling her eyes.

"Its just what they're called Safira, I don't actually want you to practice killing yourself."

"…Oh, ok. that's better…so what exactly do I do then?" Safira relented and questioning as they moved into the middle of the backyard, Sarah smirking quietly to herself at how sore her charge would be in a few minutes.

* * *

 _"Ok so, why did you want me to come with mom on this shopping trip?"_ Sarah heard Safira mentally question her as she ghosted alongside the two Ha-Neul women, Safira sticking close to her mother's side as she warily watched the gathered crowds. Ever since Terra and Safira had been invited to live in the Chieftain's house the Armadillo Faunus had taken it upon herself to pick up whatever slack there was in their hosts home. Basically, doing odd jobs on behalf of the Belladonna's in place of paying rent, or heck, maybe she just wanted something to do nowadays, Sarah hadn't actually ever asked.

Regardless of her reasons, Terra had been asked to go take care of the grocery shopping for the next week. And Sarah, seeing an opportunity to begin another part of Safira's training, prodded the younger Faunus to accompany her mother. Not that Safira was exactly thrilled with the idea of going out into a crowded public market, but she eventually relented and here they were.

 _For another part of your training; we're going to work on your observational skills. And what better place to people, or Faunus, watch than the place where everyone is?"_ Sarah answered matter-of-factly as she gestured out into the crowd. _"Now, I want you to look out there, and tell me exactly what you see."_

Safira looked somewhat skeptical first, but eventually turned her green eyes out to the crowd. _"Ummm…a lot of Faunus?"_

 _"A little more specific Safira. Like anything of note, anything interesting?"_ Sarah clarified as she rolled her eyes.

 _"I don't know, just a really big group of people."_ Safira thought back as a faint feeling of annoyance filtered through their link.

 _"Ok, well do you want to know what I see?"_ the spectral teen threw out, her eyes quickly scanning the crowd as Safira nodded. _"I see two people trying to steal from a stall, one drunken brawl that should occur in the next few minutes, and a guard who's asleep at his post."_

Sarah couldn't help but feel a bit of pride at the now shocked expression on the younger girl's face. "Eh?!"

"I'm sorry sweetie, is something wrong?" Terra asked almost immediately after the winged girl's gasp of surprise, Safira's face going beat red as the young Faunus realized she had spoken out loud.

"O-oh, it's nothing mom. Just thinking." Safira replied as she looked away in embarrassment, a knowing look passing over Terra's face as the older woman returned her attention to the street vendor. _"H-how can you tell all of that just by looking at people?"_

 _"You can't just look at the people Safira, you have to look at everything about them."_ Sarah explained, trying to sound as sage-like as possible to impress the younger girl before gesturing at a nearby fruit stand. _"First off, the fruit stand. Look at the guy talking with the guy who's running the place. He's smiling, but if you look at his shoulders, his back, and his legs you can see that he's actually really tense, like he's ready to sprint away at the first signs of trouble. And then look at the younger teen to the right of the stand. He's looking at the fruit too, but he's staring far too intently to be just causally looking for something to by. He's waiting for a signal…watch."_

Safira nodded before turning her gaze on the fruit stand and watching the two with a laser focused intensity. sure enough, not even thirty seconds later, the guy speaking to the vendor tapped his right hand against his leg twice and the teen made his move, the younger boy all but jumping forward, grabbing two apples, and quickly vanishing into the crowd while the older boy got the vendor to look away for a second, the salesman never even realizing he had been swindled.

 _"Wooowww…that's amazing Sarah! You can predict the future?!"_ The young Faunus mentally cried out, looking up at Sarah with metaphorical stars in her eyes.

A look that the older girl returned with a disappointed frown. _"Did you forget what I just said? All I did look at them, really look at them, and tried to predict what they were going to do."_ The spirit reiterated as she shrugged slightly. _"We can't always predict it, but the more you watch, the better you get at predicting people."_

 _"Oh…I was kinda hoping you had super powers, that would've been really cool."_ Safira admitted before looking back at the crowd. _"So, why do we want to predict people again?"_

 _"So that you can guess what someone's going to do before you even have to react to it."_ The black-haired assassin elaborated as she too looked back at the crowd. _"We can work on your reaction speed until you can dodge dust in the air-look, the guard just woke up, you can tell from how he jerked a little- but if you can't predict what's coming, it won't matter how fast you can move. You need to use both in order to fight effectively. Now, I want you to look at that group of men over there and tell me why exactly they're going to be fighting soon."_

.

.

.

Thirty minutes later, the three women of the Ha-Neul family were making their way back to the Chieftain's home. The food for the next week ordered and on its way. Sarah found herself floating off to Terra's left while Safira walked hand in hand on the Faunus's right, the two living women chatting about nothing in particular so the spectral teen simply chose to let her mind wander.

Safira…hadn't been all that bad actually at reading a crowd. She hadn't been nearly as fast as Sarah was, but in the end, she had managed to figure out when the alligator Faunus was about to throw a punch. She hadn't even frozen up all that much when she realized that she was in public and surrounded by people. Only a few times when someone made a loud noise and one time when someone started laughing, a strange thing to panic over but Sarah could at least understand why it had happened.

While yes, Sarah did want Safira to work on her ability to read people, the truth was that the blue-eyed teen had another reason for forcing the winged girl along. To try and help her get over her trauma. Time had yet to dull the emotional wounds the young Faunus had suffered from that night. And since the winged child had lost nearly all of her emotional support it fell to Sarah to try and fix what was broken.

But how exactly to go about it? Sarah didn't exactly have a child psychology degree or anything. all she had were her own awful experiences to fall back on…and those weren't exactly very helpful for someone not fighting a war. So, Sarah had come up with her current plan, forcing Safira to interact with crowds and people she didn't know. Not quite throwing the little Faunus into the deep end, but the winged girl was defiantly need to wade though some pretty deep currents if she was going to get any better.

And today was the first steep into that cold, dark, lake. And Sarah could only hope that Safira didn't realize her intentions before the spectral teen got the kid at least up to her ankles.

"…So, why did you two really want to come along today?" Terra's question brought Sarah out of her thoughts in an instant, the same question causing Safira to freeze up as well.

"U-umm…I wanted to try and get some candy!" Sarah couldn't help but face palm at Safira's answer, knowing full well that the older Faunus wouldn't buy it for a second. "And Sarah said she wanted to get out of the house for a bit."

"Oh? So, you wanted sweets so badly you never once looked for some or ever mentioned them?" Terra asked with a smile that perfectly embodied the expression "cat that got the canary", Safira's face paling significantly when she realized she got caught.

"U-uh…. that's…" Safira stuttered as Sarah watched on in mild fascination at the many shades of white that the young Faunus's face was currently going though. But even she was surprised by the next few words out of the older woman's mouth.

"Your reason for coming wouldn't happen to have to do with your training to be a Huntress would it?" Terra questioned in a motherly tone of voice, the calmness of her words only apparently having a small effect on Safira's panic.

"H-how did you find out?!" The young winged girl half squawked. Back when they had started training the winged Faunus had decided not to inform her mother of her intent to become a Huntress, as she didn't want to worry the other traumatized. Sarah didn't necessarily agree, as she wasn't naïve enough to think that they'd be able to keep it a secret for long, but she respected Safira's choice at the time. Not that it really mattered now.

"You mean besides for the fact that you just admitted it? Because you can only go out running so many times before someone gets suspicious Safira. Especially when you've never shown any interest in exercise before." The armadillo Faunus answered easily as their little group ground to a halt, Terra sighing heavily before looking down at her daughter with concern. "Safira…are you sure this is what you want to do? There's nothing wrong with being weak, with letting others fight. Are you really certain you want to go through all of this?"

Sarah said nothing as Terra questioned her daughter, how could she? She had no business butting into a serious conversation between mother and daughter over their shared trauma. And for Safira's part, the young Faunus seemed to understand this as well, the little girl not even looking up in Sarah's direction once as she looked down at the ground.

The ghostly assassin felt a myriad of emotions pass though their link; fear, anxiety, restlessness, but by far the most prominent, and surprising, emotion was determination.

"…I am." Safira answered simply, showing far more maturity than most girls her age were capable of, her gaze switching from the ground to her mothers.

Sarah's own gaze slowly shifted between the living, neither mother or daughter speaking, as she waited for someone to make a move. And it was Terra who finally relented, the older Faunus once again sighing heavily before smiling sadly.

"Alright then…well, if my daughter is going to learn to be a Huntress, then she's going to train to be the best Huntress she can be. And I wont shame the name of 'Ha-Neul' by not helping her." Terra commented with a smile, her voice taking on a faux-solemn tone at the mention of their family name just like a certain man sounded every time he mentioned their last name.

"E-eh? Y-you know how to fight mom?"

"Nope, not at all. But I did start dating your father back when he was a junior at Beacon so I know plenty about training." The older Faunus returned as she clapped her hands and smiled, a smile that Sarah recognized all to well from her own training, the smile of someone who was about to make a kid suffer. "And to start with, I want you to start sprinting home as fast as you can, and if you don't make it home in five minutes there'll be a punishment~!" she ordered in a sing-songy voice.

 _Well that's kinda cruel, the Belladonna's house is at least ten minutes away._ Sarah considered as she winced, Safira paling for a moment before twitching, turning around, and sprinting in the direction of home. Sarah turned to follow, as someone needed to make sure the kid didn't run headlong into something, but before she could float away someone whispering her name stopped her. turning around Sarah was shocked to see Terra staring in her direction, not eye to eye, but close enough that the ghost girl couldn't help but shiver slightly.

The armadillo Faunus didn't say anything more, instead pulling out her Scroll and typing out a message, a message that didn't include any of the emotion on the older woman's face but still gave the spectral teen pause.

 _"Please protect her Sarah. No matter what you two face. Please don't let her go through this alone."_

Sarah smiled at the message before floating down and typing out her own reply, feeling no need to shorten her own reply even if it was a waste of Aura.

 _"I will."_

Terra stared down at her reply in surprise, almost as if she thought Safira was going to reply with something else, before breaking out into relived laughter.

"Th-thank you Sarah. I'm glad Zephyr let you stay with us." Terra laughed as she whipped the tears from her eyes and started to stroll forward. "Honestly, it's far too stressful for me to have such willful daughters…honestly." She mused out loud, her words leaving Sarah shocked for a brief moment before she too began floating back in the direction of the chieftain's house.

At the very least, she now knew that it was, in fact, possible for ghosts to cry so she at least she learned something knew today.

* * *

 **so two quick notes. I mentioned this in my other story, but for those of you who are only reading this one, I've recently decided to cut back on the length of my chapters in order to try and get chapters out faster, as my life only seems to get busier with each passing day and my time for writing decreases in direct proportion.**

 **Also this chapter and the next one will be covering about three years in time as besides for training and learning nothing much of importance will be happening to Safira and Sarah. they will however close out what I'm tentatively calling the early childhood arc and lead into the next one. I'm making a note about it so that you know that when there's a line break it basically means a few months have passed in between scenes**

 **And that's it. cya next time!**


	9. Chapter 9

_"Come on Safira! You've only got another twenty flaps to go till your done with this set! Don't stop now! Push past the pain!"_ The young Faunus heard her spirit-sis yell out, not that her words really helped all that much as they really didn't do anything to make the burning in her back any better. Ever since they had let her mommy-mom, her mom found out about Safira's new dream of being a Huntress she had been pushing Safira much harder than Sarah ever did. Longer sprints through the town, more exercise than ever before, heck, she had even spent some time being drilled by the guards who were always around the mansion! It felt like her muscles were constantly on fire and being poked by needles. It almost made her want to give up…almost.

Not that she was above complaining, even if it was just to herself. _Easy for you to say, you're not the one who feels like their dying. God my wings feel like they're made of lead._ She thought as extended said appendages and brought them down like a bird would to get off the ground, her body just barely lifting off the ground in response. Since no one had had wings in a really long time, Safira's mom hadn't really had any good ideas on how to help the little winged Faunus learn how to get off the ground. Thankfully, between her and Sarah, they had managed to come up with the exercise she was working on right now. She was on the ground, in the same position she would be in for the awful exercise Sarah made her do a lot, the 'push up', but instead of using her arms to push off the ground she instead flapped her wings. Every time she moved her Faunus appendages she was picked up off the ground just a little only to fall immediately after, both her back and her arms burning with every movement.

 _"You thought that a little loudly Safira, I heard you."_ Sarah thought back, Safira actually groaning out loud as she flapped again, a small puff of dust swirling around her as her wings beat against the air. _"And I know this sucks, but look at it this way. The more you flap, the stronger your wings will be. and the stronger your wings, the less chance there is that the next time you jump off the balcony that you'll get tangled up in a bush when you fall."_

"That was only once! And it was only 'cause that stupid puff-."

 _"Not a puff Safira, a gust. A stupid 'gust' of wind."_

"Gust of wind threw me off! I would've nailed the landing otherwise!" Safira cried out loud, not missing a beat from when Sarah corrected her. though she had to admit, the burning in her arms was a lot better than the pain of having broken her arm because she landed on it wrong. Mom had been really, really angry with her after that, and not even Sarah's weird black healing light thingy had helped.

Safira froze mid flap as she blinked owlishly. Now that she thought about it…

 _"Something wrong Safira?"_ Her spirit sister asked, the joking look on the older girl's face replaced by concern.

 _"Hey Sarah, you mind if I ask you something?"_ Safira thought back as she rolled over onto her back to stare up at the gently rolling clouds above. _"That black stuff that sometimes shows up around you, you said that it was Aura right? what is it?"_

At first the black-haired teen didn't answer, instead she was looking down at her with a confused look on her face. But eventually the older girl finally seemed to get it as she held up her hand and the air around her hand turned a little darker. _"You mean this?"_ she asked, Safira nodding as she stretched out her wings in an effort to make them less sore. _"Aura is the energy of the soul. A pretty much universal trait among Huntsmen and Huntresses. It's basically the ability to use your own soul as a defensive barrier, an ability to heal, and most importantly, it gives you an ability unique to you. An ability called a Semblance"_

Safira couldn't help it, her jaw dropped at all the awesome sounding stuff. "What the heck, seriously? That sounds-."

 _"Talking out loud again Safira."_

 _"That sounds awesome! Can I do it too? Can I, can I?"_ the young Faunus half asked, have begged, as she looked down intently at her own hands, concentrating harder than she had ever concentrated in her life on trying to make this Aura stuff come out of her own body. All she had to do was look really serious and think really hard right? It should be a piece of cake!

…Unfortunately, no matter how hard she thought about it, no black energy stuff came out of her hands.

Safira's hands dropped to her sides as a pout formed on her lips, Sarah's giggles only adding to her embarrassment. _"Sorry Safira, I might not know much about Aura, but I do know that you need to have yours unlocked before you can use it."_

 _"Eh? Then how can you use yours? Did Dad unlock yours?"_ The young Faunus couldn't help but ask, having to ignore the pain in her heart at the thought of her dad while Sarah shook her head in denial.

 _"No, he didn't. I honestly don't know how I got access to mine, but I do know that no one ever unlocked it…I guess I'm just special like that."_ The spirit bragged with a wide grin and her hands on her hips, Safira giggling as well at her best friends' antics.

 _"Ok then, so all I have to do is get someone to 'unlock' my Aura thingy, and then I can do all that cool stuff?"_ Safira confirmed, smiling widely at her black-haired companions nod. _"Then let's go ask mom and Ms. Belladonna! I'm sure they can help!"_ The winged Faunus mentally cheered as she jumped up and started to run back to the house, absolutely certain that her ghost friend would be right behind her. Today was finally starting to get fun!

 _"Don't think that you're not going to finish that set later Safira, you've still got thirteen flaps to go."_ …and just like that, the soreness was back.

* * *

Unfortunately, neither Safira's mom or Ms. Belladonna were able to unlock Safira's Aura, as they didn't have their own unlocked either. But Ms. Belladonna apparently knew someone who could help the young winged Faunus and had even offered to take her to this Aura-person.

"Ms. Belladonna? Why did my mom stay behind? Is she…is she mad that I asked about Aura?" Safira quietly asked as the two Faunus made their way though the city, a whole bunch of guards following after them…and one ghost. Though Sarah wasn't really saying anything with Ms. Belladonna around

"No, no Sweetie. Your mom just isn't feeling good today. Its better for her to stay inside for now." The older cat Faunus comforted as they skirted around the marketplace, as the wife of the Chieftain well aware of the younger girl's trepidation when it came to large crowds.

"Oh…okay…Hey, Ms. Belladonna? Why don't you or my mom have your Aura's unlocked? Isn't it a lot better to have it then not? 'cause it sounds pretty convenient to me." Safira eventually asked, her question drawing a feeling of intense curiosity from the other side of her link despite the fact that Sarah wasn't talking. As the spirit girl had decided a while ago not to talk around people who didn't know she was there. Apparently Safira had had a few close calls when it came to talking out loud to the older girl in public. Which was why the black-haired teen was currently looking at Ms. Belladonna with a pretty intense look.

"Well…because our Aura's cant be activated." Kali answered simply, Safira blinking up at the older Faunus in confusion.

"…Huh?" She replied just as simply, Ms. Belladonna laughing at her confusion.

"You see Safira, not everyone has a strong enough soul to be awakened. Sometimes the awakening ceremony simply fails to work."

"Eh? Why not?"

"No none is entirely sure little one. Some people believe that only those with truly powerful souls are capable of wielding their Auras. Others think that it is just a random probability based off of one's genetic heritage, a random chance based off of who your parents were."

"Oh…that doesn't sound very cool." Safira complained, Ms. Belladonna nodding along with her.

"I agree…which is why I personally believe in the third, and least commonly held idea; that those who have their Auras unlocked are those who are destined for something greater, that they are the ones who shall change this world, though if they change it for good or ill is up to them."

"…something greater…" Safira murmured quietly, the seriousness of the older Faunus's words stirring something in her chest, a similar feeling coming though the link from her spiritual friend. The young Faunus wasn't sure what Sarah was thinking about, but her mind immediately went to her dream, the occasional dream she had of standing tall against the Grimm, Sarah by her side every step of the way. Of people looking at her with hope in their eyes as she stood up to bad people and worse Grimm and protected them.

Safira smiled at that thought, an almost painfully wide grin splitting her face. "I like that idea!"

"I thought you would. Now then, why don't we go and see if you have something special in your future too hm?" Ms. Belladonna finished as they arrived at their destination, the headquarters of the Menagerie Guard.

The building was big, defiantly the second biggest building on the whole island, and looked nothing like any of the surrounding homes. Instead of the different shades of brown that made up most of the city, the headquarters were made out of some kind of painted white metal, making it seem even brighter in the midday sun. there were only a few really tiny windows on the sides, too high up to actually see out of. And the place was always swarming with the gold and black wearing members of the Guard, as well as a few Huntsmen who were looking for work.

Her mom had once called it a fortress, that it was the place she should go to if there was ever trouble, and while Safira wasn't exactly sure what a 'fortress' was, she knew that the name fit.

Safira had been here a few times after…after that night, but she still wasn't really all that comfortable being here. Still, if it meant getting access to this Aura stuff then she was willing to put up with it for now.

Ms. Belladonna turned and said something to their guards, Safira wasn't paying enough attention to hear her exact words, before looking down at the young winged Faunus. "Well then Safira, shall we go see the person who will attempt to awaken your Aura?"

"Mmm! Who's that?"

"Why the leader of the Menagerie expeditionary forces and your fathers' old co-worker, Crimson Rufous." Ms. Belladonna explained as they walked though the front doors, the too cold air conditioning making Safira shiver a little the moment the freezing air hit her skin.

She recognized the name Crimson, as her dad had talked about her every once and awhile, and what she had heard didn't exactly make her all that excited to meet her. Zephyr had said that she got mad pretty quick and was something that her dad had called 'coarse' and had told her that she was forbidden from being like her. Her Mom had only mentioned her once, but when she did, she looked both annoyed and tired, which didn't leave a good impression on the younger Faunus.

It didn't take long for the three of them to get though the building, Ms. Belladonna only stopping at the front desk to explain why they were there and the occasional guard stopping in the hallway to bow to them, and eventually they arrived in front of a door that smelled like it was burning. Blake's mom sighed heavily, said something about 'better not be smoking' under her breath, and finally knocked on the door. At first no one answered her, making Safira think that they might not be around, but eventually a muffled 'enter' echoed from the other side. The older cat Faunus pushed open the door, causing Safira to crinkle her nose at the really, really bad smell that was coming out of the tiny room. It was dark on the inside, not that Safira really noticed with her better night vision, and the room was absolutely covered in loose papers. Kinda like a bunch of little kids had been playing around in there.

But the thing that drew her gaze the most was the woman sitting at the desk on the other side of the room, a woman who was glaring pretty angrily at them. She looked like she was a little younger than Safira's own parents, older than Sarah but not quite Elder age. For some reason, the angry woman wasn't wearing a shirt, instead she just had on something that looked like an armored swimsuit top on. Her whole body was covered in really crazy looking scars, from straight lines to ones that kinda looked like plant roots, and some kinda sharp looking scales covering her stomach.

Safira gulped, suddenly feeling a lot more nervous about this whole thing, before looking up at the woman's face only too see her glaring at them like she would rather be dealing with anything else.

But the really scary atmosphere didn't stop Blake's mom, as the cat Faunus stepped forward and smiled at the lady. "Hello Crimson. I trust you're having a pleasant day?"

"…Kali." The woman replied simply as she glared down at Safira. "Who's the brat?"

"This is Safira Ha-Neul, daughter of Zephyr. And we've come here today to ask you to attempt to awaken her Aura."

"…Hoh?" Ms. Crimson replied simply before turning her scary eyes on the young Faunus.

And while yes, Safira would freely admit that the woman before her was pretty intimidating…she wasn't nearly as scary as the nightmares the young Faunus had about 'that' night. So rather than shrink back she looked up into the woman's brown eyes. Even if every instinct she had was yelling at her to run, run now.

But apparently, she had done something right, because the scary lady snorted and smirked at her. "Heh, so she's got some spunk after all. Figured that with everyone callin' her 'Princess' and all she wasn't gonna stack up…alright, I could use a break from this shit-."

"Language!" Ms. Belladonna warned sternly, not that Ms. Rufous seemed to hear her.

"So why don't we head out back and let's see if there's more to you than a bit of courage." The woman finished as she stood and grabbed a giant rifle nearly as long as she was tall, slugging the massive weapon over her shoulder as she made for the door.

"U-umm…what just happened?" Safira questioned in utter confusion, the feeling coming from her bond telling her that Sarah was apparently feeling the same.

"Just testin' you brat." Ms. Rufous answered as she kicked open the door and started walking the other way down the hallway, Safira and Ms. Belladonna following after her. "To many idiotic parents waste my time tellin' me to awaken their kids Aura when their little sh-kid's, little kid ain't gonna do anything with it. Havin' Aura ain't about making yourself safe, it's about fighting. So, if you don't have the courage to stand up when your piss-your-pants terrified, then you ain't gonna stand when you really need ta." She explained as they continued though the maze of hallways.

 _"Not a bad policy, it keeps the power of Aura out of the hands of people who might misuse it and ensures that those who do have it at least might become Huntsmen."_ Sarah thought out loud to Safira as she ghosted just above their heads.

 _"Ok, if you say so."_ Safira agreed as she looked at the scary lady in a new light. "Oh ok, that makes sense."

It didn't take them long for the three living and one dead women to make their way to their destination, an open area behind the building. Safira could see what looked like training dummies set up in one corner of the yard, while at the other had what looked like a really advanced looking playground, something Sarah explained was called an obstacle course.

"Alright then brat…what was your name again?"

"S-Safira miss."

"Right, right. So Safira, you passed my first test. But why the heck does a pampered little princess like you want with Aura? What do you intend to do with your power?" Crimson asked as they made their way to the center of the yard, Ms. Belladonna staying by the doors and watching the with a worried look on her face. The lady who had worked with her dad staring at her not with the scary eyed look she had been using before, but a more serious look that was just as intense.

Safira didn't answer at first, instead choosing to look down at the ground and bite the inside of her lip. She knew without Sarah even having to tell her that this was another test-thingy. That if she didn't give an answer that the older woman liked, she'd go home empty handed. So she wanted to make sure she really, really thought through what she was going to say.

So, when she finally had her ideas in order, she looked back up at the older lady. The look in her eyes causing the red-haired woman to suck in a breath. "…I want to have an Aura because Remnants a really bad place. And I want to help make it a little better. Because even after everything that happened, I don't hate humans, and I want them to understand us."

"I want to have my Aura unlocked because I want to be a Huntress."

The yard was silent after Safira finished speaking, to the point where the young Faunus couldn't even hear the sounds of the city surrounding them. Crimson was watching her with a strange look, a look that the winged girl often had on her own face when she was learning math. When she looked over her shoulder at Blake's mom, Safira could see what she assumed was a shocked look on her face, as it wasn't quite what she expected. And Sarah…Sarah looked proud.

"…You really are his kid huh…" The woman before her muttered, kinda to herself, before clapping her hands and grinning wildly. "Alright then brat. Let's do this!"

"YA!" Safira cheered before blinking and frowning. "Wait, what exactly do I do?"

"You just stand there and hold out both your hands." Ms. Rufous answered easily, Safira tilting her head in confusion.

"You mean like this?" Safira asked as she held out both hands, palms up.

"Yep that's it. The rest is up to me." Ms. Rufous replied as she grasped Safira's hands, her calloused, strong fingers holding her in place. The older woman closed her eyes, a look of concentration on her face, as her body began to glow with a golden light just like Sarah had been earlier. "…Oh Wild Gods, oh Lords of the Hunt, bless this cub's path. join her heartbeat with mine so that her fangs may aid the pack!"

It was right then, right when the scary lady finished speaking, that Safira felt her entire world shift. It was kinda like the feeling she got when she dragged her feet on the carpet and then got shocked by a doorknob, only times a thousand. Her whole body felt stronger mixed with something...powerful, like crazily powerful. Her eyes went wide as she gazed down at her arms to see a sea blue energy surrounding her limbs, like being wrapped in a really warm blanket.

It felt amazing. So amazing that she started to actually laugh out loud at the bubbly, warm, feeling spreading though her chest.

"It's a crazy feelin' right? Practically better than sex, that first rush of Aura." Ms. Rufous commented, her own grin just as wide as Safira's own.

"Crimson!" _"Pfffth…wow, can't believe she went there."_ Safira heard the other two women present comment, Ms. Belladonna yelling while Sarah sounded like she was going to laugh at any second.

"Sex? What's that?" The younger girl couldn't help but ask, her confusion only growing at the fact that her ghost friend was actually laughing now.

But it didn't look like the winged Faunus was going to get an answer to her question, as the older woman simply shook her head and waved her hand in front of her face. "Eh, ask your mom about it when you get home. I'm sure she'll get a kick out of that. So now that you've got an Aura, you've gotta start puttin' it to work if you want to eventually figure out your Semblance."

"Semblance? What's that?"

"An ability of your soul, or somethin' like that. A unique ability…-"

 _Oh, it's the thing that Sarah was talking about. Awesome._ Safira thought, a stupid smile spreading across her face. Although that was only for a second because someone smacked her in the head, the young Faunus groaning, rubbing her head, and looking up at an annoyed looking Crimson.

"Oy, pay attention. Anyway, now comes the hard part."

"Th-the hard part?" Safira parroted, now feeling a sudden chill of dread settling in the pit of her stomach.

"Training!" Crimson shouted as grinned down at the young Faunus, Safira feeling very much like a little bird trembling before a lion. "Oh ya…this is gonna be fun."

* * *

Safira stood in the middle of the Belladonna's yard, her eyes closed in concentration. Slowly she held up her left arm and focused on the pressure in her blood, the feeling of her Aura just under the surface of her body. It was…a really weird, really hard to describe feeling. Almost like the feeling she got when she was really working out hard and her body felt tense. But eventually she managed to grab hold of the pressure, the air around her making a popping sound as her Aura encased her

 _"Good, just like that Safira. Next, push the feeling up from your chest, up though your arm, and into your palm."_ Her Aura coach for the day, Sarah, ordered from somewhere in front of her. Sarah nodding and following her instructions. Ever since she had her Aura awakened she had been practicing how to use it properly…which wasn't easy. It was like trying to hold on to water, really frustrating and pretty much impossible. Thankfully she had two really good sources of help, Ms. Crimson and Sarah herself.

The Scary scaly lady, while pretty brutal, was a pretty good teacher when she was actually around. Crimson had them focus almost entirely on using Aura for attacking, how to use it so Safira could move faster, hit harder, and last longer in a fight and she generally taught the winged Faunus though fighting. Though Safira was pretty sure at this point that the older woman went with actual sparring matches just because she got some kind of kick out of it. But she was starting to get a little bit of a handle on using her Aura to hurt things, to the point where sometimes she actually managed to enhance her punches with the stuff to actually cause the older woman to grunt when she hit her…which only meant she would get the stuffing punched out of her later but hey, it was still an improvement.

And while Ms. Rufous taught her about how to attack with her soul, Sarah had focused more on using it to protect herself. While the soul energy stuff always seemed to gather around her body right before she was going to get hit, something Ms. Rufous said was just a knee-jerk reaction just like flinching, actually using the stuff to stop something from hitting her was a lot harder. But luckily for Safira, concentrating the Aura somewhere to make it physical was something her ghost friend was really good at, as that was pretty much the only way she could touch things besides Safira.

 _"…alright, that should be enough. Now then, throw the ball up in the air and try to bounce it away without touching it."_ Sarah continued as she gestured at the rubber ball by the Faunus's feet. Safira nodded and slowly reached down, making sure to keep ahold of the pressure in her hand, and very carefully tossed the ball into the air. Her eyes tracked the ball as it slowly arced though the air, almost majestic as it passed in front of the sun, before it slowly began to fall back towards Remnant. The young Faunus raised her Aura infused hand. She was going to get it this time, she was sure of it! And sure enough the ball fell towards her fingers…

Only to pass by her waiting hand and straight into her face.

 _"…Pffth…oh god…o-ok. I saw what you did wrong there. You didn't distribute the Aura properly and it pooled above the left side of your hand, which made the ball bounce away."_ Sarah eventually said, the young Faunus looking up at the older girl to see her looking like she was trying really hard to hold in a laugh. The green-eyed girl looking at her with a long-suffering look.

 _"I hate you."_ Was all she replied with as she picked up the ball and glared down at it, kinda wishing it would just burst into flames.

"…Heh, not bad kid." A voice Safira didn't recognize called out from behind her, a gravely male voice that held a dangerous edge to it.

Safira turned around as fast as she could, her mind already in chaos because how the heck did someone manage to get behind her so quietly without her noticing? But when she saw the person the feeling grew even worse. It was an older man, someone who looked like he would be around her dad's age. He was dressed in a gray jacket, black pants, and had a really beat up red cape hanging off his shoulders. And that wasn't even mentioning the giant folded up blade looking thing hanging from his back.

But it wasn't that stuff that freaked her out. Rather, it was something that he lacked that was causing her to start to hyperventilate. She couldn't see any animal parts anywhere on the guy. Not even any lumps under his suit that would indicate scales or something like that.

He…he wasn't a Faunus. This guy was a human. And he had snuck up on her and found her all alone.

Safira fell backwards, her wide eyes not leaving the man before her. _N-no,nonono! I-its happening again! Someone's come for me! I don't wanna go!_ The panicking Faunus barely managed to think, the feeling of a phantom knife pressed against her neck making it hard to breath. Yellow eyes glaring down at her, sneer on his face, blade _pressedagainstherthroat. Fearsomuchfear-._

 _"-Fira, SAFIRA!"_ Sarah's voice broke though the haze of terror. The young Faunus flinching as she looked up at the source. The older girl was floating right in front of the new guy, her whole body tensed as she watched the young Faunus over her shoulder. The winged girl could feel the calmness, the love, the care, coming from the other side of their link and from seeing that Sarah was right there ready to protect her the blue haired Faunus started to relax. With the panic lessened somewhat, Safira looked back at the stranger to see that he had backed away and had his hands up, his eyes narrowed as he studied her.

"…You ok kid?"

"A…ah…sorry…who are you mister?" Safira eventually managed to force out an apology and her question, her voice hoarse with fear.

The man for his part didn't look like he really believed her, but didn't push, instead choosing to grin and put his hands in his pockets while still staying away. "Just a Huntsman looking for some info. I'm here to talk to the lady in charge and saw ya out here."

"Oh…" Safira muttered. While the guy wasn't doing anything too awful, and Sarah hadn't done anything yet, the young Faunus was pretty sure that the guy wasn't evil…but that didn't mean that she knew what to say to a complete stranger.

"You're working on your Aura right? Looking to be a Huntress?" The man continued, Safira nodding after a second. "…Well, if your gonna waste your time going down that path, might as well give ya a few pointers. Make up for scaring you and all that."

"Eh?"

"Ya can't focus that much on the stuff, it actually makes it harder to use. Ya just gotta…improvise with it."

"…what's 'improvise'?"

"…Ya just feel it kid. Don't think about it." The man explained with a sigh. "Just react and trust it…and that's about it."

"…trust it." Safira repeated, almost to herself, as she stared down at her hands.

It was then, when Safira was finally getting used to the guy's presence, that a guard stepped out into the yard from the house. "…Mr. Branwen, Lady Belladonna and Lady Ha-Neul are ready to see you. If you would please follow me." The guard announced, his only acknowledgment of Safira being the bow he made in her direction.

"Well kid, looks like I gotta go. Good luck with the whole training thing." The man named Branwen said as he walked towards the house. And while Safira wanted to say bye too, as that was the proper thing to do even if you weren't comfortable with the person, she stopped when she got a weird feeling from her link with Sarah, the winged Faunus looking up at the older girl who was staring at the man with narrowed eyes.

 _"It's like the world is conspiring against us…is there really no way for us not to end up involved?"_ The older girl muttered, almost to herself, the tone of her voice unsettling the young Faunus.

 _"…Sarah?"_ Safira mentally asked, the teen hovering above her shaking her head before smiling sadly down at her.

 _"Sorry Safira, I didn't see him until he was right on top of us…I let you down again."_

 _"Ah, no, its ok. he surprised me too so its fine."_ Safira quickly denied as she turned back around and picked up the ball. _"And he wasn't really a bad human either."_

 _"Well…I guess so. Though he seemed pretty shady to me."_

 _"oh…but hey, at least he gave us some pointers! C-can we get back to work?"_ Safira asked, not wanting to think too much about her little freak out just now.

And thankfully, Sarah seemed to agree with her, the older girl nodding as she gestured to the ball. _"Alright then, this time try and do what Mr. Branwen suggested and try and use your Aura in the same way you use it to attack."_

* * *

Having seen some of the worst the Grimm had to offer, Qrow had developed an appreciation for the finer things in life. Fine, foreign women, a good meal, and enough liquor to knock out a Goliath. Which is why he was currently lounging in his room in the only inn within all of Menagerie. Having just sent away the dog Faunus hostess he had found earlier while sipping the strongest drink they had. It had taken the elite Huntsman months to get here, since he couldn't just fly himself over here like he normally would, and over a week of looking into the case to actually try and figure out what had happened…not that he had much to go on much to his frustration. Sure, this wasn't exactly the worst assignment he had been sent on by Oz, but it was one of the most confusing.

Which was why he was waiting on the old man to call him. Oz might keep a lot of his cards close to his chest, but if there was anyone who could see the bigger picture it was the old headmaster. And sure enough, at exactly eleven thirty-six like damn clockwork, the scythe master's Scroll started to vibrate and show an incoming call.

Qrow didn't answer immediately, instead choosing to take another fortifying swig of his chosen drink before finally picking it up, not exactly feeling any need to rush into this little status update. "Oz." he greeted simply.

"Qrow. I will assume that you have successfully arrived in Menagerie since you do not sound like you are in immediate peril. Have you been able to extract any new information on the case?" His boss answered back, his voice just as neutral as ever.

"Not much." Qrow replied with a shrug. About a year ago they're little secret group had heard about a case of attempted kidnapping in Menagerie. Not exactly new news in their shitty little corner of the galaxy. But while it wasn't really all that interesting on paper, there were certain aspects that had drawn the old man's eye. A single, unknown, Huntress takin' out an entire ships worth of scum by themselves, killing a Huntsman dropout who captained the ship, and vanishing without a trace? That sounded an awful lot like something magical…and that was something old man Oz wasn't gonna ignore. With two of the three Maidens currently in the wind they couldn't afford to overlook any case that had even the faintest traces of the supernatural, even if ninety percent of these jobs only ended up giving Qrow a migraine for his troubles.

"They searched the ship, the docks, hell, they even trolled the waters around the island for any sign of the Huntress who called this whole thing in…nothing, not even a shell casing." The veteran Huntsman explained, a small amount of respect forming in the pit of his nearly dead heart for the impressive display of skill noted in the reports, if this Huntress even existed in the first place. "Ship was returned to Mistral about three months after the case and was scrapped pretty soon after, so no way to check for any unnatural damage. The bastards they did capture have all been executed for their crimes so no witnesses left."

"I see…most unfortunate." Oz replied after a moment, though considering there wasn't any change in his tone the unlucky former thief couldn't exactly tell whether he actually felt that way or not. "The report filled by the Menagerie guard states they believe the Huntress in question to be one with a teleporter Semblance. Do you believe your sister could have played a part in this?" The old man continued, voicing the thought they had both had when they had first heard about the possible teleporter.

"Raven? Nah, she may be scum, but even she's not gonna go so low as to kidnap a kid that young." Qrow denied instantly, his mood souring at the thought of his sister. "The tribe didn't have many rules about that kinda stuff, but they wouldn't go that far…at least not back when I was with them. And Raven may have respected Zephyr for being strong, but she wouldn't set up a portal link with him without some kind of benefit, and I can't see her caring about some random Faunus enough to link to her when she wasn't even willing to stay for her daughter."

"I see…and what of the victimized girl. Do you believe her to be a Maiden?" The old man finally got around to asking, a question that caused Qrow to scowl in disgust.

"…I got no clue. Snuck up on her today and surprised her like normal, tried to get her to freak out and release some of that whole magic stuff. But the girl just…froze." Qrow answered as his mind went back to his meeting with the Ha-Neul spawn. He had originally gone to the Chieftain's house in order to get permission from their de-facto leader to stay for a while to investigate, as the locals weren't exactly as friendly with humans as they used to be, when he stumbled on the girl training in the yard. The girl was workin' on mastering her Aura. Which, considering that Yang hadn't even had her Aura awakened yet was pretty impressive for a squirt like her.

 _Eh, might as well test if she's got a mantel now…though if she shocks me like Amber did I'm askin' Oz for a vacation._ Qrow decided as he approached the girl from behind, casually commenting on her Aura when he got close enough to surprise anyone.

Of course, Qrow expected some kind of reaction, a mousy little squeak like the ones his nieces made when he scared them, tears, or possibly a ball of fire conjured from the air itself, but the last thing he expected was absolute terror.

Zephyr's kid didn't even scream, didn't make a sound of any kind, just whipped around to look up at him in pure fear. Qrow had seen that look often enough, mostly from people who had gone though the worst kind of shit the Grimm could throw at humanity, to know that at that moment the little Faunus wasn't seeing him anymore. She was trapped in her own personal hell, one that he doubted she would ever be rid of.

And he would know, as it was the same look he often saw in the mirror.

And that wasn't even the strangest part of the whole encounter. As the moment the girl went catatonic the veteran Huntsman felt something he never expected to feel in the middle of Menagerie, killing intent. But the feeling wasn't coming from the kid, rather it felt like the air itself wanted him dead. And if there was one thing Qrow had learned in his time fighting for his life it was to always trust his instincts.

The Huntsman immediately backed away from the kid, his hands up to show he didn't intend to do anything while also ready to get the hell out if things went south. His eyes immediately went to the patches of tropical trees that surrounded the estate, watching them for any sign of movement. Did they have some unknown Huntsman assigned to watch the kid? Or maybe it was a sniper guard he hadn't noticed when he had first flown around the house? Regardless, he didn't want to test the waters anymore than he needed to. Oz didn't pay him to piss off the other intelligent species on the planet after all.

Thankfully the kid somehow managed to come out of whatever nightmares had her by herself, the girl's eyes eventually regaining their focus as she warily watched him. The kid was scared of him, practically shivering in fear, and that more than anything pissed him off. Looking at the kid, Qrow couldn't help but think about his nieces. What if Yang had been taken and hurt like this? Or, gods forbid, Ruby? What would he do if his family had been taken to be sold like some kind of exotic pet? The thought honestly chilled him more than he would have thought, pretty much just as badly as the day Yang had taken her sister to go look for one of his and his sister's old safe houses.

"…Kid's been though some shit, and obviously isn't over it. But if she's got one of our missing mantels she's hiding it pretty well. I felt something when I surprised her while she was working on her Aura, but it felt more like someone was gonna slit my throat than freeze me solid. Thought it might have been some kind of sniper watching her or somethin'. but when I searched the trees, I couldn't find anything. Either they've got a master sniper on hiding around town or there's something I missed."

"Interesting…tell me about the victimized child. Was there anything of note that would warrant her kidnapping?" The old headmaster asked, Qrow leaning back in his seat and takin' a swig of his chosen beverage before answering.

"…Can't really think of anything, just a normal looking brat. Blue hair, green eyes, a pretty pair of wings on her back. She's Zephyr's kid, so that might have something to do with it. People around here seem to call her Princess so maybe they thought she came from some serious Lien. That's about it…Oz? Ya there?" Qrow listed, only realizing that something might be wrong with the connection when there was no immediate answer from his boss.

"…Did you say…wings?" The headmaster of Beacon eventually replied. The tone of his voice almost making him sound…shocked? What the hell?

"Something I should know about?" Qrow questioned in a completely out of character serious tone. He'd never once heard the old man sound so out of his element, and that was far more terrifying to the old crow than any Grimm.

"A legend, older than even the tale of the Maidens." Ozpin explained, still sounding out of it. "A story of loss, of mistakes…of a promise. I hadn't realized a winged Faunus had been born recently…this changes things. Their legend is one that has been embellished throughout the years, but one that still holds some truth. There are very few in the world who would seek to claim one with wings, mainly…She would."

"…shit." Qrow muttered elegantly.

"Indeed. Though there is some good news. It is unlikely that she was told directly of this child's-."

"Safira." Qrow provided, remembering the name that Terra had given him during their brief talk.

"-thank you, Safira's existence. If She did, then there would have been no trace of the young Faunus by the time you arrived. How curious, that She would entrust such a task to such people."

"Apparently there's some bounties posted looking for people like her all around. Haven't seen any myself, but I could probably track one down if ya want me to."

"Hmmm…perhaps an attempt to capture her without alerting us? Regardless, this needs to be addressed."

"Should we try and get them to move closer to Vale?" Qrow offered. Sure, it probably be a pain to try and convince Terra to move back to the city, especially if the armadillo Faunus had adopted any of her husband's trademark stubbornness, but the scythe master was pretty sure he could come up with something.

"…No. Humanities relationship with the Faunus is already fragile enough as it is. If we attempt to overtly manipulate the family of a winged Faunus the anger will be immense. And if the rumors of the newly formed Faunus rights group hold weight then the fallout will be too great to consider. No, the decision must be their own…though perhaps we can provide some incentive to aid the child in her decision. You mentioned that you found her attempting to train her Aura?"

"Ya, found her standing in the middle of the yard scowling at a ball. Looked like she was trying to bounce it away with her Aura or something. Wasn't doing all that bad either…for a brat." Qrow admitted, Ozpin humming in thought on the other end of the line.

"Then perhaps it is time for both Signal and Beacon to reexamine our Faunus scholarship programs. Programs that I believe would be worth mentioning to Safira's mother. After all, we do want her to make sure that she makes an informed decision when it comes to her daughters continued Huntress education." Ozpin continued, Qrow silently pitying the little kid. Catching the eyes of the old Huntsman was never a good thing, as there wasn't a snowballs chance in hell that she was gonna have a normal life now.

* * *

"Alright Safira, your doing well. Remember to keep your mind clear and your breathing steady. Don't focus on anything but the warmth in your chest. Concentrate on it, feel it spread throughout your body." Terra ordered, not unkindly, as she and her daughter practiced their meditation. While the armadillo Faunus didn't have an Aura of her own, she had joined her husband in his own Aura exercises plenty of times. She knew the basics, even if she couldn't find that power herself.

"Ok…hah…" Her daughter answered quietly as she breathed out. The two women of the Ha-Neul family were alone for once, not that Terra was unhappy with being cared for and protected by the chieftain and his wife, but she had something she needed to discuss with both her living and deceased daughters.

"…ok, I…think I got it? Do I have it Sarah?" Her daughter eventually voiced before posing the question to the unseen girl in the chamber. And while Terra couldn't be certain if it was just a trick of the light or something else, but shortly after Safira asked her question the armadillo Faunus has almost certain that she saw the shimmer of black-colored Aura to the child's right. "…Ok, Sarah says I have it. What now?"

"Now try and push it away from your body, outward and away from your core." Terra instructed. The three of them were currently running through an exercise that was meant to help build the Aura stores of a person, the meditation operating under the same principles as training one's muscles. The more one expended their Aura, the more of their soul they could access to a certain point.

For a few minutes nothing occurred in the dimly lit room, only the sounds of the two women breathing disturbing the peace. But eventually Terra noticed a distinctive blue light emanating from her daughters' body. It wasn't strong or as bright as her husbands, just having been awakened, but it was just as beautiful. The light of her sea blue soul cast an otherworldly light on her surroundings, allowing the older Ha-Neul woman to get a good look at what her daughter had become.

Gone was the somewhat plump child who could barely walk to the Elder's home without getting winded. Instead a budding little Huntress was sitting across from her. While she hadn't gained the almost absurd muscles that Terra had seen while she had been dating Zephyr, her daughter's body had gained a lithe, graceful, shape. Her arms and legs had thinned considerably since she had started training herself, not to mention that she was far more flexible than even Terra herself. Her wings, once somewhat molted due to their unused, now shinned with a luster that few Faunus could match. But nothing compared to her reaction speeds. More than once Terra had witnessed her daughter catch something that had fallen from a table or catch something flying though the air without even knowing she was doing it, as her daughter was often just as surprised at her ability to snatch objects out of thin air Terra herself.

Indeed, Safira had become far stronger than any of them, Terra and Zephyr included, thought possible…which is why they needed to have a talk about her future.

It didn't take long for Safira to finish the exercise, the light of her Aura petering out leaving them with only the candle light to illuminate the room. The winged Faunus let out a shaky breath before finally opening her eyes and smiling tiredly at her. "Ok so, I'm pretty tired now." Her daughter admitted, Terra laughing at that.

"That just means your doing it right sweetie."

"Ah…well, are we done then? Can I go get something to eat?" Safira asked as she started to stand, Terra holding up a hand to halt her.

"In a moment. Before that, we need to talk about something serious." The older Faunus requested, her daughters face getting serious as she sat back down. "The Elders have finally taken notice of your desire to learn to fight, your decision to become a Huntress, and they have begun to push back against it."

"Eh? Why?" Safira half cried, her eyes widening considerably at the news that some of the Elders were against her new dream.

"For a number of reasons; because you would be safer here in Menagerie than out in the world, that your talents would be better spent in other pursuits, and many others." Terra explained as she tried hard to keep the venom out of her voice. The old fools had been trying to undermine her daughters' efforts to improve herself for months now. Ao in particular had been adamant about keeping her daughter secured for the foreseeable future, but Terra knew that the old snake just wanted to use Safira as a figurehead when the White Fang finally started to gain traction. And it took a not inconsiderable portion of Terra's and Kali's day to keep them from directly interfering with Safira. "But the main reason is…they are afraid that if you become a Huntress, the legends of the Winged Faunus will not come to pass."

"…Legend? What legend?" Safira eventually asked, her voice sounding almost shell shocked.

"A legend that your father and I have tried to keep from you for as long as we could." Terra explained before finally launching into an explanation of the Legend, about the beings that were considered the first of the Faunus and beings that would one day return to elevate the Faunus to new heights.

Safira looked beyond upset when Terra finished her explanation. Her eyes downcast and her hands rubbing against themselves. "O-oh…this is…Eh?" Safira muttered to herself before turning and staring off to her left, likely the place where Sarah was hovering based off of the fact that her living daughter had fallen silent. "…Really? Why didn't you tell me about it then?"

"Safira? Is something wrong?" Terra asked, knowing that if she didn't get her daughter back on track soon, the two girls would be lost in their conversation for who knows how long. Honestly, with how often Safira forgot that others couldn't see the spectral teen it was practically a miracle that no one else had discovered the spirits presence.

"Oh, sorry mom. Sarah said that Dad told her about that story awhile ago before…before he left." Safira explained, her voice becoming more crestfallen as she continued.

"I see…" Terra replied simply. Zephyr had mentioned right before he left that he had had a conversation with the spectral girl, but he hadn't said anything about what exactly they had talked about. She would have to ask Sarah just what they had been speaking about later. Since that day in the market, Terra had made every effort to include her recently adopted daughter. While it wasn't easy to speak only though text, the armadillo Faunus had learned to appreciate the specters dry sense of humor and her protective streak longer than even Zephyr's. She was certainly…interesting. Coming from a city she had never heard of, a land known as Los Angeles. Speaking of her previous mother and father, an owner of a store and an engineer respectively. And a good many other curious things…though interestingly enough, she never elaborated too much on the later years of her life.

"You shouldn't keep secrets from me Sarah, that's just mean…That has nothing to do with this! Why would you bring that up?!" Safira once again started to argue with the spectral teen, though there was no real bite to her words. _What was the expression again? That only the closest of people can argue so easily?_ Terra couldn't help but think as she once again got her daughters attention so they could get back on track.

"In summary Safira, the Elders are afraid that if they let you leave then this legend will never come to pass. So Safira, I have to ask you; are you willing to go as far as you need to become a Huntress? Even if that means that you must go out into the world with only Sarah by your side? Without the support of Menagerie?"

"…B-By myself? Wh-why would I need to go somewhere to be a Huntress? And why wouldn't you come with me?" Safira breathlessly questioned, Terra smiling sadly in response.

"Because I won't survive the trip sweetie. Just like you used to have, I've always had a very weak body to the extent that I very nearly didn't make the journey to Menagerie before you were born." Terra explained as she rose and moved to sit next to her clearly nervous daughter, pulling the fidgety winged girl into a side-hug. "And now, after everything that's happened, I've been told that if I try to make such a trip again, I will not survive."

"…Then why can't I just stay here a be a Huntress that way?"

"Because all Huntsmen and Huntresses must receive their credentials from one of the four major schools. Otherwise you will just be considered a vigilante. And while I don't have an issue with that, your father…well…" Terra trailed off. Zephyr would never allow her to dishonor herself like that. In fact, Terra could half imagine the hawk Faunus hunting Safira down the moment he learned about his daughter going outside the law.

"…Yeah. He wouldn't be happy with me huh?" Safira, apparently mirroring her thoughts, muttered before tightening her grip on her Terra, the armadillo Faunus's own grip growing tighter in response.

"Yep, so that's why I have to ask you Safira. With your tenth birthday coming up, we'll have to enter you into an actual school, one that can prepare you for what's to come. So Safira, are you willing to face this world alon-ah, no, will you go out with just your sister by your side?" Terra amended as she felt a gentle breeze of warm air flow past the arm currently around Safira's shoulders.

For awhile Safira remained silent, her eyes downcast and her arms still held tight around Terra's midsection. If the young Faunus was having a conversation with her eternal protector, Terra couldn't tell, but eventually the blue haired girl looked back up, her face filled with both fear but conviction.

"…I will."

Terra smiled proudly before gently pinching her daughter's cheek, eliciting a whine from the younger girl. "Look at you, being so brave. My little angel's all grown up."

"Mooommm!" Safira complained, Terra now openly laughing at her daughter's embarrassment.

"Sorry, sorry, this is just something mothers have to do occasionally. You'll understand when your older." The older Faunus explained, her daughter making a face but not commenting. "Now why don't you go get some dinner. I'd imagine your plenty hungry after using so much Aura." Terra half-ordered, Safira's stomach growling almost as if on cue.

"Okay! Come on Sarah!" The winged Faunus agreed as she jumped to her feet and left the room, the gust of warm air following in her wake.

Terra too stood and walked out the door, but instead of joining her daughter in the dinning hall she instead turned and headed down a different hallway. Now that Safira had made her choice, it was Terra's turn to make her own. Despite the interference of the Elders, Terra had more than enough money saved up from her husband's missions to afford to get her daughter a ticket to nearly anywhere on Remnant…the question was though, where?

Mistral was the closest nation that had an established combat school, but Terra would never be able to rest easy if she sent her daughter to its shores. Not only was that the land where her would-be kidnappers hailed from, but from what she had heard the people there were not very accepting of Faunus in general. Vacuo? True, they were far more accepting of Faunus there, but that heat…Safira wouldn't last a month before collapsing of heat stroke, and even if her health had improved over the years, she wasn't healty enough to endure a desert for long. Atlas…was by far the worst choice, filled with racists, freezing nearly all year round. No, she couldn't send her daughter there.

And that left only one kingdom; Vale. Thankfully, Zephyr's old classmate had informed her that both he and one of his teammates that the hawk Faunus had known had actually taken up teaching at one of the combat schools near the city. And that this friend of Zephyr's had daughters of his own now. Terra would soon no longer be able to care for her daughter, would fail to see her grow into the noble woman she would most certainly become…but she could ensure that someone out there was watching over her little angel. It was all she could really do to help Safira reach her full potential.

And so, Terra made her way to the long-range communication device the Belladonnas had set up in their home. Since Scroll communication was almost impossible due to the distance between Menagerie and the other continents, the only reliable form of communication was these devices, as they sent a powerful signal directly to the towers before delivering an electronic communication to the recipient. A form of electronic mail essentially.

And so, after pressing a few buttons to begin recording and taking a deep breath in preparation, Terra began her message. "…Hello Taiyang, I'm sure you don't remember me. But its Terra, Zephyr's wife. I heard that you've become a teacher at Signal...and I have a favor I must ask of you…"

* * *

 **So this marks the end of the early childhood arc. I thought long and hard about whether i wanted Safira to go to Signal and join the rest of the cast. but I pretty much arrived at the same conclusions that i wrote out in Terra's reasoning. the only one that really makes sense other than Vale would be Vacuo, and with Safira's constitution it just wouldn't work out. so anyway, sorry for how long this took, and unfortunately i cant promise the next chapter will be coming much faster. but thank you anyway for reading and I hope you look forward to the next one!**


	10. Chapter 10

To say that Safira was feeling a little nervous as the massive buildings of Vale came into view would be really underselling how bad she felt. Her stomach felt like it was twisting and turning in her chest and it almost made her want to vomit, and not like she had been at the start of the trip because of all the rocking the ship was doing.

It had been two months, two incredibly long months, since she had Sarah had been sent out on a ship headed straight to Vale. Safira was a little surprised at first that none of the adults had insisted on accompanying her, since she was apparently some kinda really important person of something because of her wings. but from what Sarah had overheard, apparently none of the Elders had been all that ok with her going off to another country, not to mention her learning how to be a Huntress, so they apparently ordered her to receive no guards or spending money in an attempt to make her nervous about going out into the world by herself.

Fortunately for the young Faunus she happened to be friends with the daughter of the chieftain and her dad's not so inconsiderable savings from all his Huntsmen missions, so she would be fine for a good while as long as she didn't go crazy on spending, something that Sarah had promised Safira's mom to watch out for. And as far as guards went, well, who better to protect her than someone no one but Safira could see?

And so, the day came when they managed to find a trading ship that was headed straight to Vale after leaving Menagerie. Safira had cried, her mom had cried, and while the spirit constantly denied it, the winged Faunus had seen a few tears fall down the older girls' cheeks as she turned away from the two hugging Faunus. And after promising to write and call whenever she got the chance and to be careful, for both of them to be careful, the young Faunus stepped aboard ready to start a new chapter in her life…

…of course, that was before she realized just how mind-numbingly boring being stuck on a boat for two months would be. She couldn't really train much beyond what she could do in the tiny room they had given her, she couldn't do her ball dodging exercises without getting yelled at by the people in the next room to stop throwing things at the wall, and with so little people on the ship, she couldn't even try the whole 'people watching' thing that Sarah had wanted her to practice because every time she tried she would get noticed staring and then the just thing was kinda pointless. Not to mention that since she was technically on a merchant ship there wasn't even that many people to look at.

"I'm so bored!" Safira had complained just two days into their little adventure, the young Faunus not even bothering to talk in her mind as she was certain that everyone else on the boat was feeling the same too. "Do you have any ideas Sarah? A story? Game? Heck, I'll even do some training at this point." She continued, the older spirit laughing lightly at her misery.

 _"I've got a few more stories to tell…but before that I might have something we can train in…although I'm not sure its something you'd want to do."_ Sarah answered, the spirit looking away with a really serious look on her face.

"That's fine! Just so long as its something to do." Safira had complained at the time.

 _"Well…ok then."_ Sarah had answered after a moment, taking a deep breath despite not having lungs, and turned back to the younger Faunus. _"We can practice me possessing you."_

"…Eh?"

The spirit girl had informed her about a time that she had accidently possessed Safira while the Faunus was asleep, accidently moving the younger girls arm when she had ghosted past, and that since it was possible they should both try and get used to the feeling just in case she needed they needed to do it in the future. Safira had agreed after a few minutes, not really sure about the whole thing but trusting that the older girl knew what she was doing.

And as it turned out it really was something that they needed to train in, as Safira had freaked out the first time Sarah had floated into her and started to move her fingers. The young Faunus really couldn't describe the feeling of feeling her body moving without her trying to move it, but it did feel wrong. So she had immediately panicked and, though a method neither girl fully understood, forced Sarah back out of her body and through the wall of her tiny cabin. Safira had immediately apologized at the time, feeling really awful about it, but Sarah just waved it off and said that was what they were training for, so that that wouldn't happen in the future.

And so that was how they spent the last two months, with Safira slowly getting used to having someone else call the shots in her body. She was getting better, to the point where she was only slightly uncomeatable with her arms slowly moving by themselves, but at least it was some improvement.

 _"Feeling nervous Safira?"_ The older girl asked, her words drawing the young Faunus out of her thoughts to stare at the spirit.

 _"A-A little bit…it's so much bigger than Menagerie after all."_ Safira admitted as she refocused on the massive city coming into view. Unlike the small, cramped, wooden buildings that she had known her whole life, the city of Vale almost looked like a giant metal forest as the boat slowly made its way in the direction of the port. She could see airships of all shapes and sizes slowly moving though the air like massive birds or like a bunch of butterflies flying around a flower. And lastly the entire place was surrounded in a massive wall with the exception of the side facing the water.

It was crazy big…and likely filled with humans.

 _No, I can't think like that…I just can't._ Safira thought as she shook her head violently, half hoping that she could shake the thoughts away. _Sarahs' a nice human, why wouldn't there be others like her?_ The winged Faunus tried to convince herself though no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't get rid of the anxiousness that was now gripping her.

Unfortunately, she didn't really have much time to get her emotions under control, as it wasn't much later that their ship finally pulled into port that she, after letting the sailors tie off the boat and get some stuff unloaded, stepped down off the gangplank…only to freeze a few feet away from her home for the last two months. What was she supposed to do now? She knew where she was supposed to go, a school called Signal, but she didn't know where it was and Vale was pretty intimidating now that she was standing in its outer area.

Thankfully Sarah came to the young Faunus's rescue. " _Calm down Safira. Don't you remember what your Mom told you about what you need to do when we got here?"_

That got the Faunus's attention, Safira's near panic subsiding instantly as she tried hard to recall just what her mom had said. _"Uh…she said…that…Oh! That there was going to be someone who would meet me here! Uh…what was his name again? I remember it started with an X but…"_

"Safira? Safira Ha-Neul? Over here!" A loud, cheerful voice called out, startling the young Faunus out of her thoughts as an 'eep' noise escaped from her throat, the young winged girl turning around to see three people walking up to her.

The first, and most noticeable, one was a man who looked to be around the same age as her dad and just as big. He had short, kinda scraggily, blonde hair and blue eyes and seemed like a nice guy based off the fact that he had a pretty big smile on his face. The next person was the girl who looked almost exactly like the guy who had called out to her except for the fact that her hair was longer than her dads and she had purple eyes. She was watching Safira curiously, but didn't look upset or disgusted with her so that was a plus. And lastly, half hiding behind the tall man and holding his hand, was smaller girl with black and red hair staring at her with…well, Safira wasn't exactly sure what kind of look it was. But the girls eyes were pretty wide and her mouth was open so hopefully she didn't hate her…hopefully.

"Y-yes? Wh-who are you?" The young Faunus squeaked back while also doing her best to ignore the muffled chuckling that was coming from somewhere over her head.

"Didn't Terra tell you about me? I'm here to pick you up and look after you until classes start." The man answered as both he and the two girls following him stopped a few feet away.

"Oh! Your Mr. Long right?" She half shouted in realization, the man laughing in response.

"Close, but not quite. The names Taiyang Xiao Long but just call me Taiyang. I'm not old enough to be called mister." The man corrected as he gestured to his two kids. "These are my daughters; Yang and Ruby."

"Heya, nice to meet you!" The blonde one, apparently named Yang, greeted with a smile and a wave, a smile that Safira could only smile nervously back to.

The other one, Ruby, however rushed over and got behind Safira, causing the Faunus to freeze in panic. "Wow! Your wings are really pretty! Can I touch them?" the young girl asked so fast that Safira barely had time to process it.

"Eh…ah…um…" Safira muttered, not really sure what to do.

"Ruby, calm down. Its not nice to talk about a Faunus's traits like that. And you forgot to introduce yourself." Taiyang reprimanded in a half serious voice, Ruby reappearing in front of the still confused blue haired girl.

"Oh right, sorry. My names Ruby, Ruby Rose. Its really nice to meet you!"

"I-Its nice to meat you too. My names Safira Ha-Neul." The young Faunus greeted back, noticing that Ruby had a different last name but deciding now probably wasn't the best time to bring it up.

"Wow, you have two last names too? Your just like dad and sis! Do you like to punch things too?" The smaller girl continued without missing a beat.

" _S-She talks so much…how does she not have to breathe when she's talking?"_ Safira couldn't help but ask her older guardian, the specter snorting in laughter as Taiyang moved to grab her suitcase and sling it over his shoulder like it weighed absolutely nothing as opposed to nearly everything she owned stuffed into a single large bag.

"Alright then, why don't we get going. We've gotta get to the ferries before they stop for the night after all."

"E-eh? We're getting on another boat?" Safira couldn't help but ask, her face filled with despair at the thought of spending anymore time on the sea.

A look that the older man simply laughed at before ruffling her hair. "Just for a bit. We live out on Patch, the same island where Signal is so at least you won't have to ride one for a while. Come on, lets go." And with that the man turned and started to make his way in the direction of an entirely different dock, his two daughters following him closely.

Safira for her part couldn't help but hesitate for a second, her nerves getting the better of her, but when she felt a gentle push on her back, she remembered that no matter what she wasn't alone. And so, after gulping loudly in order to calm her nerves, she began to walk after the three humans.

* * *

The ride to the island of Patch was just as short as Taiyang claimed, which Safira couldn't help but be grateful for. But despite how short of a trip it was, it was still enough time for Ruby to absolutely bombard her with questions.

The young brunette asked her everything from what her favorite color was-a question that she hadn't ever really thought about so she just answered yellow, the color of Blake's really cool looking eyes- to what was she did during the day. And while Safira managed to answer a few of them, she couldn't help but feel somewhat overwhelmed. And it didn't help that while the blonde girl, Yang, had seemed pretty friendly at first, now whenever she met the blonde's eyes, she couldn't help but flinch at the slight frown and stare the purple-eyed girl was giving her. all the while their dad remained silent and smiling.

All in all, it was absolutely awful for her nerves, to the point where she felt like she was going to throw up.

But when they arrived at the island all feelings of nervousness or such were forgotten as she stared wide eyed at all the strange new sights. Menagerie was a pretty cool place to live, but living in a bunch of sand with just the occasional palm tree to spice things up got pretty boring quick. But this place…it was so green! The grass, long think and so much more comfortable than the brown kind that sometimes grew back home, the trees absolutely covered in dark green leaves that casted shade all over the place.

It was absolutely amazing.

"Wow…its so beautiful here…" Safira couldn't help but breath out as she looked around, Ruby looking at her curiously.

"Really? It's kinda boring looking to me. Did you not have forests where you're from?"

"No, just some palm trees…woooww…" Safira answered blankly as she continued to stare wide eyed at the surrounding green, the three family members laughing at her for a moment and causing the blood to rush to the young Faunus's face.

"Oh, don't feel too bad Safira, your dad mentioned once that he reacted the same way when he got here from Vacuo." Taiyang comforted, Safira still pouting slightly before his words finally registered.

"Eh? You know my dad?"

"You bet. But let's get back home before we open that can of worms. Gotta get dinner ready for these two after all. Hell hath no fury like two hungry girls…and now there's three of you. Gods help me."

"Dad!" the two other girls shouted out, now both just as embarrassed as Safira was moments ago but their group quickly made their way though the small town built by the ferry crossing and into the forest proper. Taiyang mentioned that Signal, the school she was going to go to in just a few weeks, was in the opposite direction than the house. About a thirty-minute walk or so. And while Patch was relatively safe, there were still Beowolves and Creeps about so she shouldn't go anywhere by herself. Safira promised after asking what exactly those things were and finding out that they were the local kinds of Grimm.

"Do they come around your house?" Safira asked as they made their way around a particularly dense bunch of trees.

"Sometimes. But don't worry about that! I couldn't be a teacher at Signal if I couldn't deal with the occasional Beowolf!" Taiyang bragged as they made their way around a curve in the dirt path to find what Safira could only describe as a log mansion waiting for them. "And here we are! Home sweet home. Bathrooms down that hallway to the right, your room is the first one on the left at the top of the stairs, and your free to go anywhere except my room or my workshop. Understood?"

"Y-yes sir!" Shouted back, Mr. Xiao Long nodding before clapping his hands together.

"Alright then! I'm going to get started on dinner. Hope you like steak! In the mean time you kids have fun. And no messing with my mechanical parts Yang, I don't want to find you three covered in soot because you were messing around with my stuff again."

"Dad, stop! Your embarrassing me!" The blonde girl huffed as their dad laughed and moved off into the kitchen.

 _"He seems nice."_ Sarah commented, though her tone made it sound like she was a little bored, a term that Safira had recently learned was called 'deadpan'. And yes, the young Faunus agreed with her…not that it made her any less nervous. Here she was, half way across the world by herself with the exception of a spirit friend and she was trying to learn how to hunt monsters. It just sounded insane when she thought about it.

And for a brief second, she felt like it was all too much and that she should just go home. That she missed her mom and just couldn't do this. But before she could even turn back towards the door Ruby grabbed her hand, a wide smile on the younger girl's face.

"Hey Safira, you wanna play a game while dad gets dinner ready? There's this awesome new game called Kung Fu Ninja Slayer Ultimate Death Battle that just came out and Yang keeps beating me so I thought that we could play -and can I touch your wings please? They just look so nice and soft and cool and-and then I might get to win but it still be cool if you won and then we can have tons of fun-."

"Woah there Ruby, she's losing you again." Yang interrupted the younger sister with a laugh, Ruby's cheeks going red. "Why don't we show her around first and then we can play. I was thinking that its been awhile since I've kicked your butt!" the older sister laughed as she grabbed Safira's unoccupied hand and lead her deeper into the house. "Come on!" she shouted as she dragged the young Faunus forward.

 _"S-Sarah! Help me! There're kidnapping me!"_ Safira couldn't help but mentally cry out as the two sisters half sprinted though the maze of a building, the bones in her arms screaming at the strain. But to her horror, the spirits only response was to laugh loudly.

Despite her initial fear, the two sisters did not in fact attempt to sell her to the highest bidder. Instead they tore though the house at nearly breakneck speeds showing her every room that they were allowed in. they showed her her temporary room, a guest room with a single bed and a dresser in the corner, Yang's room, a room filled with so much stuff that Safira could barely take it all in, Ruby's room, which had a pretty big collection of story books some of which Safira had never heard of, and every room in between until they settled down in their family room to play some game on their Scrolls.

Having never played the game, let alone any game on her Scroll, Safira was getting destroyed at first. But as her frustration built, she eventually agreed to let Sarah take over for her hands so that she could win at least once. It was odd, feeling her fingers move without her trying, but it was worth it when Yang yelled in shock when Safira's character knocked hers into the air and kept it there with a series of kicks.

"No fair! How'd you figure out how to cheese it so fast?" Yang complained as she tried to avoid the next attack, only for Sarah to anticipate her moves and get right underneath her character before the blonde could react.

"Heh he, I guess I'm just a fast learner." Safira bragged as Sarah returned control of her limbs to her.

"Another game!" Yang challenged, only to be interrupted when Taiyang poked his head into the room.

"Alright girls, dinner. You can play some more after we eat." The dad of the house ordered, not that he really needed to, as before Safira could even blink his daughters sprang from the couch and rushed into the next room, leaving a shell-shocked Faunus behind.

It was…odd, the way these humans behaved, the way Taiyang talked to his daughters. While she hadn't questioned if her parents loved her in a long time, not since Sarah had to explain that her dad's sternness wasn't him being angry, but back home everything had been…quieter or something like that. But here it was just so loud and quick that she couldn't help but feel out of place.

Not that she could feel that way for long, as the father of the house quickly noticed her not getting up at the prospect of a home cooked meal. "Something wrong Safira? Not hungry?"

"Ah no, its not that." Safira quickly denied as she stood. "Its just…so different than I'm used to." She admitted, Taiyang laughing almost immediately as he led the young girl into the dining room, Sarah following shortly after.

"Well I'm not surprised to hear that. After all, I can't imagine that stick in the mud Zephyr ever really laughs about anything, or smiles…or looks at people other than with a frown on his face." Taiyang admitted Safira staring up at the man.

"…Oh yea, you said that you met my dad. When did that…" Safira started to ask as they sat down but the girl trailed off as she looked at the feast before her. never before in her life, not even on her birthday or when she had been spending time in the Belladonna's, had she ever seen so much food on a single table. Slabs of meat almost as big as her arm, an entire bowl of dinner rolls, beans and fruits and all kinds of food. "Wh-what's going on? Is its someone's birthday?" The young Faunus couldn't help but question, the three residents all looking at her funny for a moment before Yang answered.

"Nah, nothing like that. This is just a normal meal." The blonde answered with a shrug before digging in, her sister following in her footsteps a moment later.

 _"How do they get so much food?"_ Safira couldn't help but question the older spirit as she too decided to start eating, her eyes going wide at just how juicy and tasty her first bite of meat was.

 _"Well, they might live on an island like you did, but with a kingdom's capital right next door they can get as much food as they need cheaply. While Menagerie is too far away for most perishable stuff to last and the land isn't great for farming so they probably just can't get as much food there."_ Sarah answered, Safira feeling a little down for a moment before she shook off the negative feelings. After all, it wasn't like she could do anything to fix that kinda stuff, that was an adult problem.

So instead, she just decided to move on. "So, Mr. Taiyang-."

"Just Taiyang is fine. Calling me 'Mr.' just makes me feel old."

"-Taiyang, you said you met my dad at school?" Safira asked, Ruby and Yang both looking up at her question.

"Ah ya, I keep getting interrupted every time I've tried to tell you huh?" Taiyang chuckled as he leaned back and stared off into the distance. "But yes, I meat Zephyr and Terra back when he was going to Beacon and while she was working at a retail store in Vale. He wasn't on my team or anything, but he was in my class."

"Zephyr is your dad Safira?" Ruby questioned, the blue haired girl nodding once as stars appeared in the younger girls' eyes. "Woow, does he have cool wings like you do? Is he a Huntsman then? What's he like? Does he have a really cool weapon? What's the biggest thing he's hu-."

"Breath Ruby, breath. But yes, Zephyr did graduate to be a huntsman and should still be, right Safira?"

"Y-Yep! Dad's really cool and strong!" Safira happily explained. "He's got a really cool, giant, axe but I don't know if it can change into anything. He can make water do cool things with his semblance and he's…he's kinda…" Safira trailed off as she attempted to explain her dad's personality in a positive light.

"He's a pretty intense kinda guy." Mr. Xiao Long finished for her, the older man looking over at her like she was going to defend her dad.

"…Ya, that's pretty accurate." Safira admitted with a pained smile, her smile only becoming more strained at the snort coming from somewhere behind her. "He's nice, but he's really strict and doesn't really smile all that much…but I know he loves me and mom and will save people so I love him too!" The young Faunus finished with a near blinding smile, one that the three members of the family couldn't help but return.

"Heh, well look at you. Your pretty smart for your age. Must have gotten that from your mother." Taiyang commented, laughing when Safira nodded her head in agreement. "But your not wrong. Despite his angry look, your dad was always one of the most loyal and steadfast fighters I've ever met."

"Steadfast? What's steadfast?" Safira questioned at the unfamiliar word.

"Ah, I'm mean that he always sticks by what he believes." Taiyang explained as he leaned back and chuckled. "Not that we didn't manage to rope him into our teams' antics on occasion. Heck I remember this one-time Qrow got it in his head to try his hand at home brewing in our dorm room…"

.

.

.

"…Well, needless to say, Zephyr never really went by our dorm room ever again." Taiyang finished his story, Safira giggling at the mental image of her dad missing his eyebrows. They had finished dinner a few minutes ago, all three girls listening to the older man with smiles on their faces. And as the story wrapped up, Safira couldn't help but stretch her back and arms, enjoying the feeling of her joints popping. But as she did so, she unintendedly stretched her wings out as well, her full six foot wingspan nearly filling her side of the table and drawing the gazes of the three humans.

"…wow, their like, legit bird wings." Yang commented in a dazed sounding voice, Safira flinching at her words. While not necessarily wrong, it wasn't really a nice thing to talk about a Faunus's traits like that, like they really were the animal their traits came from. But at the same time, she really didn't want to correct her. What if Yang got angry at her? What if they kicked her out? Better to just let the comment go than take the risk.

But to her surprise, the dad of the family actually rose to her defense. "Yang, that's rude. You shouldn't ever talk about a Faunus's traits like that. At least not without their permission." He reprimanded, Yang flinching and looking sheepish at his words.

"Sorry Safira, I didn't mean to be rude or anything."

"No, its ok. It didn't bother me that much." Safira lied a little as she moved her right wing over her shoulder and started to fiddle with the feathers. "But yes, they are real wings. My mom told me they're like the wings from a kind of owls up Solitas."

"Can you fly with them?" Ruby asked as she looked up at the massive white wings.

"A little, I'm not really that great at it yet and it takes a lot of energy to get up into the air. But I can glide with them really well." Safira explained as Ruby started fidgeting in her seat.

"Can…can I pet them?" She eventually asked, Safira blinking a bit before frowning.

 _"Sarah? Do you…do you think I can trust them?"_ Safira couldn't help but ask her spirit sister. Sure, she really didn't think that at this point she was in much danger of being thrown in to a cage but there was a difference between trusting people to not kidnap her and trusting people with her wings.

 _"…I do. That kid doesn't look like the kind of person who'd hurt someone even if she didn't like them. Honestly, they all look like good people…I trust them, and I think you should too."_ Sarah replied after a few seconds, her ghost friend's voice really serious but really calm.

"…ok, just be gentle please." Safira eventually agreed, and practically faster than she could see, Ruby was suddenly behind her and patting her wings.

"Wooowww, their so soft! It's like petting a pillow!" Ruby exclaimed as she peeked around from behind Safira's left wing. "Yang, Yang, you gotta try this!" That got the blonde girl out of seat and, after asking for permission as well, practically leapt across the table to begin petting Safira's right wing.

As for Safira herself, her face had gone so red that it was starting to hurt. Besides from her parents, no one, not even Blake, had petted her wings in such a way, and her parents mostly helped her groom them when they got to dirty. It felt kinda ticklish and really good, like getting a backrub.

"Huh, they really are soft. Do you wash them or something? 'cause It'd be nice if I could get my hair this fluffy feeling" Yang asked as she petted a little higher on Safira's wing, causing said appendage to twitch a little. "Oh, sorry. Did that hurt?"

"Ah, no, just kinda…tickled, I guess? I can't actually feel each feather, just the spots where they're attached. My Mom said they're like hair in that way." Safira explained as she tried to fight against the blush in her cheeks. "And no, I don't really do anything special to get them that way, just brushing them a lot and cleaning them every so often. It's a lot of work, but it's worth it."

"Finally! Someone who gets it! Ruby and Dad always make fun of how much time I spend on my hair. Speaking of, yours could really use some work." Yang commented as she lost interest in Safira's wing and started running a hand though Safira's blue locks.

"That's 'cause you spend, like, an hour a day working on your hair Yang. It's just silly." Ruby replied, Yang huffing and lunging for her younger sister.

"I'll show you silly. Get back here Ruby!" Yang yelled as the two began to sprint though the house.

"…Um, shouldn't you stop them?" Safira couldn't help but ask Taiyang as the chase led the two girls to the second story of the home, the sound of their stomps making it seem like the roof was going to cave in any second.

"Nah, its good training for them both." The older man replied as he started to pick up the remains of the meal. "Now to do the dishes."

"Oh, I'll help! Your dinner was very good by the way." Safira replied as she folded her wings back up and leapt up to help.

"Such a good girl, maybe Yang and Ruby will learn a thing or two while you're here." Taiyang commented with a fake sniffle, making Safira smile.

Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing that she had to go so far away for schooling. If all the humans were like this, then she'd have no problem when school started. Heck, she couldn't wait for it.

* * *

 **Not much to say here, other than apologize once again for how long it takes me nowadays to get a chapter out and hoping that I got Yang, Ruby, and Taiyang right.**

 **See you next time, when schooling proper starts**


	11. Chapter 11

Safira tried not to fidget too much as she waited in line to finish her Signal application, though she couldn't really help but swallow nervously despite herself. It had been a little over one month since she had arrived on patch and had started living as a guest of the Xiao Long and Rose family-she had never managed to find out why they had three total last names to their family- it was time for her to move in to the dorms offered by the school. That was, of course, assuming she passed the transfer exam.

Not to say that she didn't enjoy her time in their log mansion or whatever you wanted to call it, but the family was just so active that she wasn't sure if she could keep up. If Ruby and Yang weren't playing tag or some other game where they ran around at breakneck speeds then they were playing video games on their Scrolls. And if they weren't doing either of those two things then they were training with their father. Safira had tried hard to remain in the background during the day, after all she was a guest and didn't want to incontinence them anymore than she needed to, but every time she just tried to watch Ruby or Yang would see her, call her over, and after she shook her head and politely declined they would simply resort to dragging her along.

It was fun of course, so much fun. Almost as much fun as the last time she had made friends. But it was also exhausting and made her heart hurt sometimes, and it was at those times that she had to rely on Sarah to help her with the pain. And a part of her hated that, that she was forcing her sprit sister to use up her precious Aura just so she could play. Sarah of course said it was fine, that she was happy to use the stuff for whatever Safira needed, but now that she was moving out Sarah shouldn't have to waste any more of her energy on her.

 _Assuming of course that I manage to pass this test._ Safira couldn't help but think, her depressing thoughts making her sigh in an attempt to release her nerves. She had already taken a standard test testing her general knowledge, such as basic math and history, but now she had to take a test to see if she could join the Huntsmen/Huntress course and gods only knew how hard it would be.

 _"Relax Safira, you'll do fine."_ Sarah commented from somewhere off in the distance, the older girl having said that she was going to go and look around while Safira waited.

 _"That's easy for you to say. What if its some really long test? What if I have to show some kind of really hard Aura technique? What if its math?!"_ Safira couldn't help but complain back, Sarah laughing though their link at her expense.

 _"Like I said, don't worry about it. And if worst comes to worst you can just ask me for the answers."_ Sarah answered easily, Safira nearly gasping in shock at what the older girl was implying.

 _"Sarah! I can't cheat on my entrance exam!"_

 _"I'd wouldn't necessarily call it cheating. More like your making use of an information source available to you and only you."_ Sarah answered back. _"But if you're really that worried, why don't you try some breathing exercises to pass the time. Taiyang did teach you a few after all."_

 _"…I guess."_ Safira relented as she closed her eyes and focused on her breathing, trying to get as much air into her lungs without making much noise.

And thankfully, it wasn't long until she was called up. "Number thirty-two, Safira Ha-Neul, please come to the front." A bored sounding woman called out over the loudspeaker in the auditorium they were currently seated in, Safira only jumping slightly at her name as she stood up and quickly made her way to the desk they had indicated. Once there, she met the bored looking woman the voice belonged to, a woman with frazzled looking pink hair in a loose bun and eyes that had too many bags underneath them.

"Safira Ha-Neul?"

"Y-Yes!" Safira answered, trying hard to keep her nerves out of her voice.

"Alright, please place your hands on the panel before you so we may determine if your Aura is active." The tired looking woman commanded as she gestured to a fancy looking machine sitting on the table. Safira nodded once, gulped audibly, and placed her hands on the handprint spots the lady indicated. The strange machine made a really loud clicking noise followed by a sound like it was powering up before the green light on the side of the device light up for a second.

"Alright then, Aura confirmed. Congratulations on your entrance to the Huntress courses." The tired woman congratulated before handing the shocked Faunus a slip of paper. "This is your dorm room number and a list of first year classes that you will be attending. Please go put your things in your dorm and proceed to the auditorium for new student orientation…number thirty-three Auburn Hacket, please come to the front!" The woman continued on, Safira continuing to stand there in confusion up until the woman glared at her, the young Faunus fleeing a second later.

 _"Wait a sec, that's it? No duels with a teacher? No written test? No math?"_ Safira couldn't help but complain as she followed the posted signs pointing in the direction of the first-year dormitory.

 _"Well, to be fair, they can't really know how much training any kid has when they come in and they are supposed to be training you. So, they probably just want to make sure everyone has the bare minimum of requirements to join the program and start weeding out people as time goes on."_ Sarah explained as they made their way out of the gym the huntsmen course's exam was taking place in, the young Faunus shielding her eyes from the sunlight before taking a look around.

Signal was apparently the perfect example of a modern school according to Sarah, though Safira couldn't help but be curious how the spirit even knew what a modern school looked like. Every building was completely square and made out of some kind of white marble. Each building was filled with large, clear, windows that would help to let light in. The campus itself was just like the rest of Patch; green, grassy, and covered in thick tall trees. The air, while far colder than Safira was used to, was still nice and warm in the sun and cool in the shade making it an incredibly desirable prospect to simply take a nap in the grass.

It was so nice here that it was practically paradise compared to Menagerie, and Safira was going to enjoy every second of it.

But now wasn't the time for naps, now was the time to try and figure out where she'd be living for the next six years.

"Hmmm, lets see, I'm in room…316 of dormitory D…so that should be on the third floor, right?" Safira thought out loud as she wandered through the campus looking for said building.

 _"Should be yes, that's the dorm for the incoming freshmen if I remember correctly. Just go put your stuff down and let's head to the auditorium like the woman said."_ Sarah answered, sounding pretty bored with everything that was going on, Safira giggling quietly at the spirits deadpan tone.

 _"Ya, I guess I should. This bag is getting pretty heavy anyway."_ Safira agreed as she adjusted the bag.

Sure enough, Safira's new room was on the third floor of the newly vacated dormitory D. and while the young Faunus wasn't exactly too keen on having to climb three sets of stairs a day just to get back to her bed, she couldn't exactly complain when Sarah reminded her that she could always use exercise considering her future plans. Thankfully, once she arrived on the third floor, it didn't take her long to reach her assigned room, an unassuming door in a hallway filled with similar doors, and waved her Scroll in front of it to unlock it.

Opening the door to the pretty standard dorm room, Safira was surprised to see her roommate already present sitting on one of the beds. The girl was taller than Safira by a good head and a half but look didn't look like she had been training as much as the young Faunus, her limbs far thinner than even Safira's. her hair, a fiery red color that was almost pink in its intensity, was done up in an impressive braid that was hanging off to the side. Her outfit was clearly from some kind of boutique and probably cost more Lien than the entirety of Safira's wardrobe, as the Faunus had lived most of her life with homemade clothes or buying something on the rare occasion when the ships brought such things to Menagerie.

The girl looked up from her Scroll at the noise of Safira entering the room and almost instantly the young Faunus picked up on the other girl's disgust and annoyance. Her lips twisted slightly into a scowl, her eyes narrowed, and her body tensed slightly but noticeably…all signs that pointed to a fact that Safira was really hopping wasn't true.

So, she tried to ignore the signs the other girl was giving off when she smiled and held out her hand. "Oh, you must be my roommate. I'm Safira Ha-Neul. Its nice to meet you." She greeted, trying hard to sound as friendly as possible. She could feel Sarah hovering nearby, the older girl's suspicion and mutual dislike leaking though their link briefly before the spirit managed to get ahold over her emotions.

But what Safira had been dreading came to pass, as the girl stared at Safira's outstretched hand for a moment, clicked her tongue, and crossed her arms in a clear dismissal. "Great, of all losers I had to get stuck with, I had to get one of the animals." The girls scoffed, Safira flinching at her words and tone. "Look Faunus, since we're stuck together for the next six years, I'm going to just spell this out for you now so you can get it through your thick skull. I'm Tuli Ansger and I'm going to be the best Huntress of our generation. And I can't afford to have something as stupid as a room reassignment on my record if I'm going to do that. So, here's how this is going to work. You stay on your side of the room, you don't talk to me, and above all don't touch my stuff, and I won't acknowledge you in any way. Deal?"

"…I…Y-yea…I guess that works." Safira muttered, trying not to cry at the various insults her new roommate was throwing out. It had been foolish of her to think that just because the Xiao Longs and Ruby had been so nice that everyone she would meet here would be just like that family.

Tuli continued to glare at her for a second more before she sighed once again, stood, and pushed past the green-eyed Faunus. "Well I'm going to the Auditorium. Don't follow after me too soon, I don't want anyone associate me with someone like you too soon." And with that the red head slammed the door shut, leaving Safira staring at the ground in despair.

 _"…You know, I can haunt her if you want me to. I did get some good practice on that little brat Adam after all."_ Sarah deadpanned after a moment, Safira realizing a humorless laugh at her best friends' tone.

"N-no, at least not yet…also, when exactly did you haunt Adam? You never mentioned that before." Safira returned, her own eyes narrowing in suspicion as Sarah turned away.

 _"Oh, you know…anyway. You should follow your bitch of a roommate's example and get your stuff put away and get down to the auditorium. Maybe you can find some nice Faunus who will be your friend."_

 _"Yeah…maybe."_ Safira agreed after a moment, even if she didn't really feel like that was going to happen. " _And I'm not dropping that whole haunting Adam thing. Your explaining that."_

 _"…Drat, I was hoping that you'd get distracted from that."_

* * *

Finding the auditorium hadn't been too much of a challenge, as there were giant arrows all over the place pointing in the general direction of said building, but boy was it a lot bigger than Safira was expecting. They called it an auditorium, but looking up at it the young Faunus couldn't help but compare it to a mini stadium. A description that Sarah agreed with as well. The seats rose far into the air, to the point where Safira was certain that only Faunus like her dad could actually see the center ring. Speaking of, the center of the massive auditorium held a circular raised platform, one quite similar to all the ones Safira had seen online in Huntsman tournament videos. This place was an arena for watching fights and was clearly built to accommodate every single student in the school and then some.

Safira couldn't help but freeze slightly as she walked into the part of the stand dedicated to first years. There were so many kids sitting there, talking amongst themselves, laughing, yelling, or just sitting quietly, that the young Faunus couldn't help but panic slightly. Any one of the humans could be someone who was like her roommate…or worse. She couldn't even see the Yang, the one living human she knew here that she knew wasn't an awful person. Without even intending to Safira placed a hand over her neck, the same place where the man had held his knife, as she struggled to take a step forward

But before she could freak out too much, she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder, the larger hand squeezing slightly in reassurance. And just like that, Safira's mind calmed. The young Faunus smiling slightly before taking a deep breath and making her way though the sea of kids to the first open spot she could find.

Thankfully, both the people on her sides barely gave her a second glace as she squeezed in between them. The young Faunus chatted with Sarah for a while before finally, a loud beeping noise echoed from the loudspeakers, nearly the entire stadium quieting down at the unexpected noise.

"All students, please quiet down. We will now begin the welcoming ceremony for all new and returning students. Please direct your attention to the central arena for an address from our headmaster, Professor Lama." The voice introduced, the surrounding students beginning to applaud with Safira following suit only a second later. Slowly, as if he was just out for a Sunday stroll, an elderly man started to make his way onto the center of the stage where a microphone was waiting the man was pretty old, not as old as the Elders from back home but not as young as Mr. Taiyang or her own dad. His head was mostly bald, with only a little bit of very grey hair on the sides of his head. He was also a lot rounder than Safira had been expecting considering that Signal was supposed to be one of the best schools in Vale but maybe he was more the headmaster for the regular classes? He was wearing a really elaborate robe than Safira had ever seen, even compared to the Faunus Elders, so the man clearly wasn't all that poor.

The man finally arrived at the center of the arena and coughed into the microphone in order to quiet the applause. "Thank you…to all our returning students, I hope that in your time away from this institution you continued to hone your intellect. To those of you who are joining us this year. I welcome you with open arms to Signal, one of, if not the greatest learning institute in all of Remnant. Here you will find knowledge to aid in your growth, instructors who will lead you to greatness, and to those of you who will become the next generation of Huntsman, I thank you for taking your first steps to becoming a guardian of mankind. It is through your blood and sweat that will keep the flames of humanity burning brightly…"

For the next thirty minutes the man continued to talk about how thankful he was to those who had joined the school and continued to talk about how great the school was. Safira had tried to pay attention, she really had, but after listening to him repeat a line about how "The future was theirs" for the third time she started to doze off. It was just so boring! Surely, they really didn't need to sit here for this long!

Thankfully, the man finally paused as he surveyed the gathered teens, Safira refocusing due to the silence. "So welcome, one and all, to Signal's forty second year of classes. I wish each of you the best of luck in your studies. You may take the rest of the day to orient yourselves and prepare for classes tomorrow. You are dismissed." Professor Lama finally finished, the young Faunus not even remotely surprised to hear quite a few sighs echo from her surroundings, including both her and Sarah.

 _"Well that was one of the most boring things I've ever had to float through…so what now?"_ Sarah questioned as Safira stood and joined the crowd of new students shuffling towards the exits.

 _"Well…maybe just explore around? Figure out where stuff is like the cafeteria and my classrooms? Maybe look for those Faunus you promised me would be here?"_ Sarah eventually decided, Sarah shrugging her shoulders with a disinterested _"Eh, sure."_

It didn't take long for Safira to figure out where everything is, as just like with the auditorium there were signs all around campus directing new students to all the major buildings. Over the course of the next few hours Safira managed to locate most of her first-year classes, the cafeteria, and a gym that was specifically for Huntress training. She did find a place called the "workshop" that Sarah explained was probably for making and maintaining her future weapon, but since first year students weren't required to have weapon training until their third year she wasn't exactly all that interested in looking inside the dirty looking building.

And it was towards the end of her tour, as the sun started to get low in the sky, that she found something that caused a smile to spread across her cheeks. A group of Faunus, five of them to be specific, had gathered around a picnic table that was just outside of dorm D and while she didn't know for certain if they were freshman, she could at the very least try and talk to them.

Putting on her most welcoming smile, Safira walked up to the group. "Hello, are you all first years too?"

One of the boys sitting on the table, a boy with a giraffe tail, turned to stare at her. "Yea…you a Faunus?" he questioned in an almost accusatory tone.

"Yes! I actually moved here from Menagerie for the Huntress course. I'm Safira Ha-Nuel, Where are you all from?" Safira answered, still trying to sound as friendly as possible. It felt weird to have a group of people look at her like she was talking to them with some sort of angle or like she was going to insult them, but considering how her roommate had treated her, maybe it wasn't so strange for Faunus to be suspicious at first.

Thankfully, the looks of the gathered Faunus cleared up immediately the moment she declared what race she was from. "Wow, that's pretty impressive! Most of us are just part of the general courses, but Gul here is part of the Huntsmen courses. My name's Snow by the way." A girl with some kind of antlers waved her hand at a boy who was grinning confidently at her, his teeth far pointier than a normal person.

"Heh, that's right names Gul Bordo and nothings gonna stop me from getting' famous! So sorry about this girlie, but I'm not gonna pull my punches during training so don't you dare hold back either!" the boy, a shark Faunus if Safira had to guess, challenged. Safira giggling at his antics.

"Of course, same to you. I'd hate to beat someone without trying." The green-eyed girl returned. _Oh, thank the gods that I managed to find some Faunus who are decent people._ Safira thought, Sarah mirroring her thoughts a second later.

 _"Heh, I told you there was nothing to worry about."_ The teenage ghost said from her side, Safira almost nodding unintentionally but catching herself at the last minute.

But her conversation with her spirit sister was cut short when a different girl, a nervous looking kid with black hair, raised her voice. "U-um…excuse me, but are you really a Faunus? I don't see your trait anywhere and umm…" The girl trailed off and looked away, Safira blinking in confusion for a second before she realized that ever since Tuli's verbal lashing earlier she had been holding her wings as close to her body as possible.

"Oh, sorry about that, I was trying to keep them hidden since my roommate…ah, never mind. But here they are." Safira tried to explain before simply giving up and relaxing her wings, the tension leaving her shoulders as her wings unfurled slightly. "I didn't mean to hide them but…um, is something wrong?" Safira couldn't help but ask as she looked into the shocked, pale faces of the gathered teens before her.

"Y-you…you have w-wings?!" Gul half shouted; his eyes wide as he leapt to his feet and pointed over Safira's shoulder.

"Y-yes? Is that a problem?" Safira asked, suddenly feeling incredibly nervous.

"Y-Ye- I mean n-no! Not at all your highness!" Gul quickly denied, his words only adding to the winged girls shock.

 _"Wh-why does he know that nickname too?"_ Safira couldn't help but question Sarah in shock, the spirit taking a moment before answering.

 _"I don't think they are using it as a nickname Safira."_

"We didn't mean any insult your grace! I-I-I never meant to insinuate that you were less than what you are!" The nervous looking girl, now looking infinitely more nervous as she bowed repeatedly and started to edge away from the still confused Faunus, the others beginning to follow the girl's example.

"W-wait! It's fine! I don't think like-." Safira tried to correct their misconception as she reached out for the group, but no one seemed to be listening.

"Please forgive us! We won't bother you anymore with our antics, please excuse us!" Snow apologized and with a level of coordination that would make full trained Huntsmen jealous, the group of Faunus turned and fled, leaving a very confused and hurt Safira in their wake.

"But…but I just wanted…" Safira muttered, almost to herself, her hand falling back to her side lifelessly. For a second the only sound was the wind gently blowing though the twilight, but eventually Safira heard Sarah sigh heavily as she hugged the girl from behind.

 _"…I'm so sorry Safira, it looks like we both underestimated how important the legends about winged Faunus are."_ Sarah apologized, Safira laughing lifelessly as she shook her head.

 _"Yea…I guess we both did."_ Safira replied as she looked up into the slowly darkening sky. _"I think…I think I'm just going to go to bed early today. I'm kinda over today."_ She decided as she turned to go back into the dorm, Safira remaining silent but sending feelings of comfort to the younger girl.

Just as before it didn't take her long to get to her room, the young Faunus slowly opening the door to find Tuli sitting at one of the desks once again on her Scroll. The other girl didn't even bother to look up at the Faunus's entrance, and in all honesty, she was kinda glad she didn't. she really didn't want to deal with anymore disappointment tonight.

Slowly getting ready for bed, Safira slipped underneath the slightly scratchy bed sheets and turned to face the wall before finally allowing tears to silently gather in the corner of her eyes. She had been foolish, so utterly foolish. Not only had she underestimated how mean humans could be, she hadn't even thought about how other Faunus would think about her. they probably thought about her like she was some kind of descendant of the gods or something stupid like that, and there probably wasn't anything she could do to convince them otherwise. She had been hoping, praying, that shed get a chance to make new friends here, some who would be like Blake and Adam and not care about her apparent status, but once again she was all alone.

And it was then, just when she was about to start sobbing, that she heard her constant companion begin to sign a song for the first time since she was a little girl. The song was just as off key at parts as it was the last time she had heard it, and considering how many times the older spirit resorted to humming in place of words she had forgotten more words since she had heard it last…but the sad yet hopeful song was just as comforting now as it was during the worst of her nightmares.

Even though she didn't turn around or acknowledge the comforting gesture, she still smiled though the tears as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 **So I couldn't find anything online about how long schooling in Remnant lasts, but for this story I'm assuming that a student studies at Signal for 6 years and Beacon for 4 to graduate at 20.**

 **Until next time!**


End file.
